


Harry Potter and the Best Summer

by Kishirokitsune



Series: Harry Potter and the Traditions of the Magical World [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Albus Dumbledore has flaws, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Female Remus Lupin, Freeing Sirius Black from Azkaban, Gen, Golden Trio Friendship - Freeform, Gringotts Wizarding Bank, Harry Potter is Not a Horcrux, Harry Potter is the Heir to the House of Potter, Harry and Draco learn to get along, Harry is Heir to several old Houses, Harry is removed from the care of the Dursley's, Hermione learns something unexpected, House of Caer Lleon, House of Emrys, House of Pendragon, House of le Fay, Inheritance Test, Lady Magic intervenes, Manipulative but Well Meaning Dumbledore, Nonbinary Nymphadora Tonks, References to Arthurian Legends, Remy Lupin is Harry's Magical Guardian, Some Heirs are Chosen by Magic Herself, Wizarding Culture (Harry Potter), Wizarding History (Harry Potter), Wizarding Politics (Harry Potter), Wizarding Royalty (Harry Potter), Wizarding Traditions (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:00:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 28,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24682732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kishirokitsune/pseuds/Kishirokitsune
Summary: Harry had barely been back at the Dursley's for two weeks, when an unexpected visitor arrived at the door. He quickly finds himself spirited away back to the wizarding world and learns some secrets that have long been kept from him.
Relationships: Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger & Ron Weasley, Remus Lupin & Andromeda Black Tonks, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Series: Harry Potter and the Traditions of the Magical World [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1784575
Comments: 53
Kudos: 170





	1. Rescue

**Author's Note:**

> Just a warning, updates are likely to be slow for this fic. I plan on taking my time to make sure I cover everything I want to and to make my ideas as clear as I can within the fic itself. (So, if you find yourself with any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them within the narrative.) I definitely recommend reading the part before this one, but hopefully I've set it up in a way that it's not 100% necessary.
> 
> I'll be adding more tags as I go along.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this! I have a lot of ideas for this AU and hopefully some surprises for everyone reading!

If Harry Potter could have only one wish come true, it would be that he would never have to return to number four Privet Drive. His time at Hogwarts had only reinforced that wish and there was a certain knowledge lurking at the back of his mind that said if he really wanted to, he could leave and spend his summers lodging at the Leaky Cauldron. However, he was stopped by his promise to Headmaster Dumbledore.

Harry sighed as quietly as he could and gave a sideways glance to the cupboard under the stairs, where his relatives had immediately locked away his trunk when he arrived home.

He'd been just lucky enough to convince them to allow Hedwig to stay in his room, provided that he keep her quiet. It was working, but barely. After two weeks of being stuck in her cage, she was beginning to give him reproachful looks and quiet hoots of displeasure.

For his part, Harry kept his head down and did his chores as he was told. The less he could provoke his relatives, the better. They seemed perfectly happy to ignore him anyway, which was far better than any of the years before he learned he was a wizard, and the most interaction he got daily was from Aunt Petunia leaving a list for him on the counter.

Most days followed a routine; make breakfast, clean the kitchen, water and weed the garden, make lunch, leave the house whenever Dudley brought his friends over so he could avoid the inevitable bullying, and make dinner. Some days there was another chore added in, like vacuuming or dusting or cleaning the windows.

It wasn't bad, all things considering.

His chores kept Harry busy and in his free time he tried to review what he could remember from classes, so that once his friends did write him with days he could (hopefully) visit them, he would have a clearer idea of what to write for his summer essays. With all of his books locked away in his trunk, it would be the only chance he'd have to complete the work given to him.

Two weeks wasn't a long time. Not really. There was no reason for him to worry about not receiving a single letter, even though they'd all promised to do so.

Two weeks.

Harry quietly began preparing lunch according to Petunia's exact specifications. He knew if he did a single thing incorrectly, he would find his “privileges” more restricted than they already were.

He was partway through when something very odd happened.

The doorbell rang.

Most people would not find that odd, but most people were not the Dursley's, where an unexpected house-guest was a very odd thing indeed.

Petunia glared at him as she bustled by on her way to the door, a not-so-subtle reminder that he was to remain quiet and not draw attention to himself. She pasted on a smile for their guests and smoothed out the front of her neat blouse, and then opened the door.

Harry slowed his movements so he could listen in, thankful there was no one else around to watch him.

“Good afternoon, my name is Andromeda Tonks and this is my cousin, Leona Black.”

Harry's heart leaped in his chest.

Leona Black was a fellow Gryffindor at Hogwarts who he befriended over Christmas break. Their parents had been friends and year-mates when they attended school, and she offered him the chance to hear stories about them. On top of that, she spent the remainder of the school year tutoring him in wizarding culture and had promised to dive deeper into that over the summer, even if she had to do it through letter.

He skillfully set aside the spatula without making a sound and crept closer to the hall, hoping to get a look at what was happening.

Leona was there, looking far different than he remembered and it took Harry an embarrassingly long moment to realize why. It was more than just her light brown hair, curled more neatly than she bothered to while at school, it was also in the way she held herself, straight-backed and head lifted high. Her muggle clothing was crisp and neat in a way that way too perfect.

The woman with her was dressed in a similar manner, but carried herself with a grace and nobility that made Harry feel like a bum in comparison. Her hair was darker than Leona's and curled in a more natural manner. For a moment he thought she might be Leona's mother, before remembering that she introduced herself as Andromeda.

Or “Andy”, as Leona commonly called her.

“We are here to pick up Harry Potter.”

The next few minutes passed in a blur to Harry. Petunia denied that he was there, of course, but none of that stopped Leona or Andromeda from finding the truth, aided in part by Harry himself, who did not stay quietly hidden in the kitchen. He wasn't sure if she made a convincing argument, or merely decided Petunia wasn't someone worth arguing with, but before he knew it, Harry was being swept toward the door by Andromeda with a steady hand on his back.

“Leona, fetch Harry's things,” she instructed.

Leona nodded once and looked to Harry for guidance.

“Hedwig's in my room. Up the stairs, second door on the left. My trunk is, er...” Harry couldn't stop his glance to the cupboard under the stairs.

There was more than just his trunk in there. No one had ever bothered to fully clean it out when he was moved to the smallest bedroom. It had only been a year since then, but he couldn't remember if he left behind anything to show that he had once called the tiny space his room.

In one fluid motion, Andromeda withdrew her wand and flicked it toward the cupboard.

Petunia hissed angrily and pressed herself up against the wall, her eyes fixated on the slender piece of wood. She said nothing, but her glare promised retribution the next time Harry stepped foot into the house alone.

The cupboard door creaked open and Harry tried to move forward and get his trunk before much more of the room could be revealed, but the older witch summoned it towards them herself, bumping the door wide open in the process.

There, pinned to the wall on an old scrap of paper and written in crayon, were the words “Harry's Room”.

Andromeda narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips into a thin line. She continued to float the trunk a few inches from the ground, and in a very calm voice said: “Leona.”

“I'll get Hedwig,” she responded immediately, turning to the stairs and racing up them. She returned quickly, crooning to the snowy owl with promises of freedom. She didn't look at Petunia as she brushed past the woman.

Harry wasn't sure if he managed to say goodbye to his Aunt or not as he was hurried from the house, but he didn't glance back either. His trunk was still floating, though it was close enough that anyone not paying close attention would assume he was carrying it.

There was a shiny black car – obviously new and expensive – sitting at the end of the drive, and Harry eyed it curiously as they approached. He assumed they would keep going, but instead Andromeda led them right up to it. His trunk was soon loaded into the back and Hedwig released to stretch her wings, and then they were off, with Harry in the backseat along with Leona.

“I got worried when you didn't respond to any of my letters,” she explained. “When Fred and George said you hadn't written Ron either, I knew I had to do something, so I asked Andy for advice and she agreed to come with me.”

“You sent letters? I never got any,” Harry said.

Leona frowned. “I sent three of them, and I know Ron sent one, so that's at least four missing letters. According to him, Hermione has sent you one as well. So what happened to them? Any ideas, Andy?”

“It sounds as though someone has been tampering with Mr. Potter's mail,” Andromeda responded. She glanced at him using the rear-view mirror, her brown eyes scanning his slight form. “It will all be looked into.”

Harry got the feeling she meant more than just his mail. He looked to Leona instead, wondering which of his many questions he should ask first. (Should he ask them? Would she mind? Those musings Harry tried to brush away, though the sense of unease lingered. The Dursley's never liked questions.)

“I got a little worried when I didn't hear from you after the first one,” Leona said to one of his unasked questions. “You _do_ have a knack for trouble, after all. Mum convinced me that you might be busy and that two days is hardly cause for alarm, but she did let me send a second letter. Once I didn't get a response to that one, I mentioned what was happening to Fred and George. Ron overheard and said you hadn't written him, but Hermione had and she was having similar trouble. I figured there must be something wrong, but it wasn't until the third one that mum and Andy were willing to believe me.”

“We always believed that you thought something was wrong, but there are better ways to handle problems than rushing headlong into a situation when you don't know all of the facts,” Andromeda said, in a tone that indicated she'd said that many times before.

Leona made a face.

“Extra lessons tomorrow morning. Early. Mr. Potter may join us.”

Leona sputtered, her expression one of distress. “But it's the start of vacation and we've only just gotten Harry away from those awful muggles!”

Andromeda's voice was firm and without amusement when she spoke again. “Then I should think that Mr. Potter would like the opportunity to immerse himself in wizarding culture and tradition. As it's clear from what little I've heard from you about the circumstances of his placement, there is a great deal he needs to learn, and very little time to teach him. There will be time for fun, but at the moment we have more pressing matters to attend to.”

Leona slumped back against her seat, which seemed to mark the end of their disagreement.

Harry soon found himself distracted with the view out the window, as the car they were in squeezed through impossibly small spaces. He thought at first that it was the other vehicles warping to let them pass through, but on closer inspection realized that they were the ones being pulled and squeezed as they moved easily through traffic.

They drove for another ten minutes before Andromeda made a turn off down a dead-end street, at the end of which was a tall brick wall – likely the back side of a shop. When they didn't slow down, Harry began to get nervous.

He closed his eyes, bracing himself for impact, but all that happened was the car bouncing slightly and then he could hear the crunch of gravel beneath the tires. Harry opened his eyes again to find that they were no longer in town.

When he twisted around to look behind him, there was only a gray brick fence and impressive iron-wrought gate barring the path to the main road.

“It's pretty cool, right?” Leona asked, noticing his look of awe. “There are specialized runes and charms on the car that let it pass through magical space. It was only invented in the past few years as a way to travel without causing motion sickness. Of course, not everyone has embraced it, since it relies on muggle engineering and it's slower than apparating or taking a portkey, but you don't have to down an anti-nausea potion each time you use it, so that benefit outweighs the extra time. And also, disappearing in front of muggles is generally considered breaking the Statute of Secrecy, but they won't pay any attention to a car.”

“It's brilliant,” Harry said, though he had no idea what apparation was. He resolved to ask Hermione about other forms of magical transport once he had the chance. She was bound to know, but on the off-chance that she didn't, it would give her something new and interesting to research.

Of course, he could also ask Leona or Andromeda, who were both right there with him and clearly happy to explain anything he was having trouble understanding. It was only out of habit that Hermione was the first one he thought of.

His attention was drawn elsewhere as he got his first look at where they were going. It was a truly magnificent Victorian manor with a octagonal tower positioned on the front right side of the building. It looked to be around two stories tall; three, counting the tower. The outside was done in dark stone and had wooden embellishments for added interest.

The landscaping around the manor was immaculate, but not in the too-perfect way of Privet Drive. There was no symmetry, for one, and it seemed like every plant had been chosen for a specific reason that went beyond uniformity. Aside from a few groupings, none of them appeared to be the same type of tree or bush, and the colors of the flowers ranged across the rainbow from red to blue. The fact that his Aunt and Uncle would hate it made Harry love it even more.

“Welcome to Oakstone Manor,” Leona said proudly.

Andromeda pulled the car into a stone carport next to the house and once they were parked, Leona led the way up to the front door.

“Remember our plans, Leona,” Andromeda said.

“Of course,” Leona responded with a short nod. She looked down at Harry, whose confusion was clear in his expression. “Andy set up an appointment at Gringotts for the reading of your parents will. She's been looking into a few things ever since I sent that letter to mum over Yule, but it's the most important one.”

“We will explain things once you are settled in, Mr. Potter,” Andromeda said kindly.

Harry felt a little too reminded of Professor McGonagall right before she was about to give a lecture every time Andromeda referred to him as Mr. Potter and quickly asked that she just call him Harry instead.

“Then you may call me Andy,” she said. “My child prefers to go by our surname, Tonks. You will likely meet them this evening once they return from Auror training.”

Andromeda walked ahead of them to open the door, giving Leona a split second to whisper a rather unusual word to Harry. He assumed Nymphadora was Andy's child and could almost understand why they wanted to change their name. (He didn't fully understand the use of “they”. Nymphadora _sounded_ like a girls name, so shouldn't that be “she”?)

Harry had so many questions that he didn't know where to start, so he stayed quiet as he followed them inside, his eyes wide at the sight of the grand staircase leading up to the second floor. They bustled him along to the right, past a parlor room decorated in soft blues and grays, and then through a set of doors leading to the kitchen, where a tiny creature in dark gray was busy using magic to prepare a light lunch of sandwiches and fruit.

The creature strongly reminded Harry of a hairless cat, though it was bipedal and its ears were much larger.

He looked to Leona in silent questioning.

“Harry, this is Cici, one of the manor's house-elves,” Leona introduced. “Cici, come meet Harry! He'll be staying with us for the rest of summer.”

Cici turned with a delighted squeak, her eyes large and almost bulbous in shape. She dropped into a low bow. “Cici is being pleased to meet Harry!”

Once she was facing him, Harry could see the navy blue sash attached to the front of the house-elf's uniform, stretching from one shoulder down to the opposite hip. At the very top was a crest, which he supposed belonged to House Black.

“Nice to meet you,” Harry replied.

Cici beamed. “Cici has prepared lunch for everyone to enjoy! If Harry wants anything else to eat, just ask Cici!”

“I, um, I will. Thank you,” Harry said, fighting off his confusion at her enthusiasm. He cast a wide-eyed look at Leona, who wasn't at all phased by the house-elf. But then again, why would she be?

Cici snapped her fingers and the plates of food floated to the long table in the center of the room.

“Eat, Harry,” Andromeda suggested in a tone that left little room for disagreement. She smiled as Harry obediently sat down in the nearest chair and reached for a sandwich. “Cici, would you take Harry's things to his new room? I was thinking that the blue room on the east wing would be best for him.”

“Cici will be going right away, Miss Andy!”

Harry jumped as a loud _pop!_ snapped through the air right as Cici vanished. “How did she do that?”

“Magic, of course.” Leona grinned at him as she sat down and selected a sandwich of her own, also adding several large strawberries to her plate. “Remember earlier when I was telling you about different forms of magical transport? That was apparation.”

“And... and you said Cici is a house-elf?”

Andromeda joined them at the table, but stayed silent as Leona explained.

“They're sort of like live-in servants. They bind themselves to the magic of a family or House and it makes their own magic even stronger. Of course, some people take advantage of that and use it as an excuse to be cruel to them – to command obedience even when it means hurting them. It's...” Leona paused to get her thoughts in order. “House Black used to be that way. After the war, when Andy took over as Regent for the House, she started to make changes and reformed House Black from the ground up.”

“It has been a long process and not nearly as simple as Leona makes it sound,” Andromeda said gently. “Family magics are delicate and often tightly woven. It has taken no small amount of power and patience to get as far as I have, but it has all been worth it to lay the foundation for Leona to build upon once she comes of age.”

“Anyway, our house-elves all have the option to accept payment and can use it for any extra things they like. We provide all of the housing, food, and medicine for them, as well as access to the family magics. And their clothing, of course. While working they wear the uniform of our House, but outside of that it's up to them.”

Leona spoke with such pride of the changes that had been made, but Harry couldn't help but feel like she was leaving so much out. If House Black had only recently begun to offer payment to their house-elves, then did that mean it wasn't something other Houses did? But then that would make house-elves...

“They're slaves?” he asked in a quiet voice.

Leona flinched.

“They have been treated as such for many generations,” Andromeda said in an even tone. “For long enough that house-elves themselves see it as the only way, though that in no way makes it right. We are trying to do better, Harry. In time, we hope to see others willingly follow until the day comes we can approve legislature that will prevent the mistreatment of house-elves.”

Andromeda filled her own plate with food. “Enough of this talk for now. There is much we need to get done and the day is already halfway through. Milla!”

Harry jumped as a new house-elf appeared, similar in appearance to the first but decidedly older. Like Cici, they wore all gray except for the navy blue sash from shoulder-to-hip.

“How may Milla be helping?” they asked.

“Could you let Remy and Aquarius know that we have returned and lunch has been prepared? I'm afraid I sent Cici off with new instructions before she could do so,” Andromeda said.

Milla quietly agreed and then popped away, leaving the three of them alone in the kitchen. They ate in silence for several minutes and then footsteps on the wooden floors sounded the arrival of someone else.

Or two someones, as it were.

A tiny girl with wild dark curls was the first to enter, giving little pause when she spotted Harry sitting at the table next to Leona. She smiled sweetly as she made her way over, her pale blue skirt swishing around her ankles, and then sat down directly across from Harry.

Behind her was an older woman whose hair was similar in color to Leona's – a light brown that has slight waves – though there was a visible streak of gray in the front. Something in her expression broke when she saw Harry and before he could wonder if there was something wrong, she opened her mouth to greet him.

“I haven't seen you since you were a baby, Harry. It's good to have you here,” she said.

She could only be Leona's mother – Remy Lupin-Black – who had been best friends with his parents while they were at Hogwarts. He'd been exchanging letters with her since Christmas, though his were mostly thanking her for the stories she told him about his parents and a little bit about his life at school. He should have recognized her from the photographs Leona showed him, but she had only been a teenager in those.

“It's nice to finally meet you – er, again,” Harry said, feeling awkward.

Remy took a seat across from Leona and next to Andromeda, her movements a little stiff. Maybe she was just as nervous to meet Harry? The thought seemed silly, but after all of her well-written letters maybe he wasn't off the mark.

“Leo says she's been teaching you about culture and stuff,” Aquarius spoke up, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room. “Did you really not know about it before Hogwarts?”

“Well, no. I grew up with muggles – my mum's sister,” Harry explained.

“ _Petunia_?” Remy sounded alarmed, her amber eyes wide. “But he said – you were meant to be someplace safe and he _put you with Petunia?_ ”

“Remus,” Andromeda said sharply. She waited for the other woman to calm down before continuing with: “That is part of the reason why we will be going to Gringotts before anything else. Harry is overdue for his inheritance test and after that we should be able to request for the unsealing of the Potters' Will. We will get to the bottom of why you were sent to live with those horrible muggles instead of being placed with the magical guardian chosen by your parents.”

Harry wondered if speaking up in defense of his aunt and uncle would be the right thing to do, but decided he didn't care. They _were_ horrible muggles.

“Lily wanted to do a few things the muggle way, so you should have gone to your godparents, but...” Remy trailed off, her voice full of pain. “Alice Longbottom was named your godmother. She and Lily were close after Hogwarts. James picked your godfather.”

“Sirius,” Harry said, remembering what Leona told him when they first met. “Wait, Longbottom? Like Neville Longbottom?” His head reeled at the thought of growing up with Neville as a brother. It would have been far better than Dudley, that was for sure. Or he could have even grown up with Leona and Aquarius as his sisters!

He should have grown up in the magical world, knowing about his parents and the world he would come to know and love. So who had placed him with the Dusleys? And why?

Harry doubted he would be able to eat much until he learned the truth.


	2. Inheritance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Updates will probably be slow.  
> Also me: *gets too excited and immediately writes the next chapter*
> 
> I guess the better thing to say is, updates will be sporadic and based on which fic I feel like writing the most.

Harry managed a few bites of fruit and most of a sandwich for lunch and then Andromeda gathered them all up in order to floo into Diagon Alley. Leona hurriedly whispered to him that it was yet another form of magical transportation – one which apparently involved traveling by fireplace and made Harry think of all of the stories about Santa Claus – and that he needed to enunciate properly as well as focus on where he was going.

Harry could easily picture the twisting cobblestone streets, the Quidditch Supply shop, and the gleaming white building of Gringotts. Diagon Alley had left a strong impression on him after only a single visit and he doubted he would ever forget the way it looked.

“Don't breathe in once you step into the fireplace or else you'll choke a little on the smoke. Breathe in first and then step in and speak,” Leona advised as she reached out and took a pinch of sparkling powder from the pot Andromeda was holding. She winked at Harry and tossed it into the flames, pointedly breathing in before stepping into the fireplace. “Diagon Alley.”

Andromeda held the pot out towards Harry. “Would you like to go next?”

Harry felt a little nervous as he pinched some of the powder between his fingers. He followed Leona's directions to the letter, breathing in before tossing the powder and stepping into the flames. “Diagon Alley!”

The flames flared green and then suddenly everything was spinning and Harry had to close his eyes to keep from getting sick. It didn't last for long and then he was being thrown out of a fireplace, landing hard on a wooden floor in front of Leona's feet. He groaned in mild pain.

“It gets easier after you've done it a few times. Let's get you out of the way so everyone else can come through,” she said, bending over to help him up.

Harry gratefully accepted her hand, letting her pull him back up to his feet and a short distance away from the fireplace, which flared green as Aquarius stumbled out. She didn't fall over like he did, as she quickly righted herself and smoothed out her skirt before hurrying to join Harry and Leona. The three of them didn't have to wait long as Remy came through next, followed shortly by Andromeda.

“We're all here,” Andromeda looked over the three children with a pleased expression. “Harry, you and I will go to the bank to get everything squared away and we'll meet back up with everyone once we are through.”

The thought of being left alone with Andromeda made Harry nervous. She'd been nothing but polite and kind to him, but she was still an intimidating woman who he'd only met an hour or so ago. “Leona's not coming?” he asked, hopeful that his friend would step in and agree to go along too.

Leona shook her head. “Sorry, Harry. I need to go get fitted for new robes and I want to look into replenishing some of my supplies before the school crowd hits.”

“I could go,” Aquarius said quietly, gray-green eyes flickering from Harry to her cousin. “I don't need anything right now and it would make me feel less nervous about getting my test done next year if I could see Harry go through his. If that's alright with you, Harry.”

Although Aquarius was equally a stranger to him, she was also Leona's little sister and he wanted to make an effort to get to know her better, especially considering that it looked like he'd be staying with them for the remainder of the summer. Maybe having someone near his age would help calm his nerves.

Harry nodded in agreement and Aquarius beamed at him.

Remy bent to kiss Aquarius on the cheek, making her promise to behave for Andy, to which Aquarius responded with a sweet smile before skipping over and taking Harry's hand; an act which made her mother fondly sigh and shake her head.

They didn't dawdle near the Floo, quickly splitting up and walking towards their destination. Aquarius held onto Harry's hand as they followed behind Andromeda, who explained a few things about proper etiquette around the goblins and answered questions that Harry never would have thought to ask.

It wasn't unlike what he practiced in order to apologize to Malfoy the year before.

Harry fought back a cringe at the memory. _Apologizing_ to Malfoy was his least favorite thing that came from learning more about the magical world, but he had to admit it hadn't been completely awful. The look of surprise on Malfoy's face when he approached and properly introduced himself was one he would cherish for years to come, and it was nice to be able to walk through the halls without worrying about being hexed by his sort-of nemesis or any of his cronies.

Evidently one of the few differences between greeting a wizard and greeting a goblin was in the way he was meant to bow. With wizards, he would place one hand over his sternum in a lightly clenched fist, while with goblins he was meant to keep both hands open at his sides when he bowed. It was meant to show that he was unarmed and something about goblins and wands that Harry didn't fully understand.

At least it would be easy to remember. Not that it helped with his nerves at all.

Aquarius squeezed his hands. “Goblins are kind of grumpy no matter what, but as long as you're polite they won't hate you!”

Harry attempted a smile, but he was sure it came across as more of a grimace. He didn't say anything as they entered Gringotts and he tried to hold his head high even with the attention that fell on the three of them as they strode over to one of the tellers.

Andromeda stopped and bowed before addressing the goblin there. “We are here about Mr. Harry Potter's inheritance test and to see about the unsealing of the Wills' of James and Lily Potter.”

The goblin, whose nameplate read “Narok”, regarded her with steel in his eyes before nodding. “Ganrig has been assigned to your case. He is waiting for you in Testing Room Three.” He gestured towards the opposite side of the hall, where there were several solid stone doors. A goblin stood at attention at each one.

“Thank you,” Andromeda said before ushering the children across the hall, carefully stepping around other witches and wizards as they hurried to-and-fro. They all stopped in front of a door with a “three” carved into the surface and bowed in greeting to the goblin there, who then knocked on the door and stepped aside, allowing them to enter as the door opened.

The office was done in varying types of stone; white floors marbled with green and walls of a darker brown. The shelves were made of something similar to the floor and had bold geometric shapes carved into them. Books and parchment took up most of the space, though there were also chunks of glittering gems. A sturdy desk sat in the center of the room, the top cleared of items aside from a simple metal bin, a roll of parchment, and a jeweled dagger. All-in-all, it was a space that showcased the talents of goblin builders and Harry found himself properly awed.

They all bowed to Ganrig and then sat once they were told to, with Harry in the center.

“The process to determine inheritance is simple. You will offer three drops of blood to the parchment and once your family's magic has finished, it will unroll and you will have proof of your claim as Heir of House Potter,” Ganrig said. He waited for Harry to acknowledge his statement, his expression unchanging, and then gestured towards the blade. “A finger will do, Mr. Potter.”

Harry could feel his arm trembling as he leaned forward and took up the dagger. He held his left hand over the roll of parchment, braced himself for the pain, and then quickly guided the tip of the blade to his index finger. It pierced through easily and Harry quickly let three drops of blood fall before pulling his hand away and returning the dagger to the table. His finger warmed and when he looked at it, the cut had already healed.

The roll of parchment seemed to glow as it slowly unfurled, revealing Harry's full inheritance.

Ganrig looked it over first and his only reaction was a subtle raising of one eyebrow. He seemed to think everything was in order and turned it so Harry, Andromeda, and Aquarius could read it as well.

Harrison James Potter

Father - James Charlus Potter (deceased)

Mother - Lily Marie Potter (deceased)

Godfather - Sirius Orion Black

Godmother - Alice Guinevere Longbottom

Magical Guardian - Remus Jane Lupin-Black

Heir of House Emrys (chosen by Magic)

Heir of House Slytherin (conquest, approved by Magic)

Heir of House Peverell (paternal line)

Heir of House Potter (paternal line)

Recessive Lines -

House Evans (maternal line - newblood)

House Larkspur (maternal line)

House Eerie (paternal line)

Magical Interference -

Magic Dampener (applied at 11 months by Lily Potter)

Core Damage (curse scar)

Inheritance:

Properties -

Scale Tower (6-story tower)

Slytherin Manor (heavily damaged - cursebreaker required)

1/4 share in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Peverell Estate (main family home)

Potter Manor (traditional family home)

Cottage at Godric’s Hollow (heavily damaged. Cursebreaker and Wardlayer recommended.)

Potter Bungalow (secondary family home in West Bengal, India)

Abilities -

Dragonspeak (House Emrys)

Parseltongue (House Slytherin)

Dark Core

Vaults -

Historic Vault of Emrys (locked until age of majority)

Emrys Family Vault (locked until age of majority)

Emrys Heir Trust Vault

Slytherin Family Vault (locked until age of majority)

1/4 Hogwarts School Vault (for use of funding for Hogwarts only)

Peverell Family Vault (locked until age of majority)

Peverell Family Historic Vault (locked until age of majority)

Peverell Heir Trust Vault

Potter Family Vault (locked until age of majority)

Potter Heir Trust Vault

While Aquarius gleefully latched onto the part where her mum was listed as Harry's magical guardian, Andromeda was more focused on a few of the troubling aspects that were revealed in Harry's inheritance.

“We will have to schedule a full cleansing,” she murmured, her eyes fixed on the section labeled: Magical Interference. “The dampener never should have been allowed to remain on you for so long. Typically they're removed by the age of five. And now it's clear that no healer was able to examine your scar for any residual magic.” Andromeda pursed her lips. “Ganrig, what are the goblin means of determining who took it upon themselves to illegally act as Harry's magical guardian?”

“There are several options that I am aware of, but I would recommend an appointment with the Judiciary Task Force.”

Harry found he cared less about the interference part and more about the bit where he was evidently the _Heir of Slytherin._ And what did it mean that he was chosen by Magic? Was that something significant? Did it mean it he wasn't blood-related to those lines? If that was the case, then how could he inherit those Houses?

He didn't remember reading anything about Magically chosen Houses.

“What's House Emrys?” Harry asked.

There was a moment of stunned silence before Andromeda collected herself and was able to respond. “House Emrys is among the oldest wizarding families in the United Kingdom and is considered a Royal House by our modern rankings. It sits alongside of House Pendragon, House le Fay, and House Caer Lleon. We will speak more about this once we return home.” She turned her attention back to Ganrig. “I would like to request a copy to take with us, charmed to be unreadable by anyone without Harry's permission.”

Ganrig promptly agreed and removed a second scroll from beneath his desk. While he cast the necessary spells to create a protected duplicate, Andromeda took the time to explain a few more things about the Houses he inherited.

“Your Primary Lines show which houses you directly inherit. You are the Heir of four different Houses and will need to take time to learn about each of them. Recessive Lines are those you carry in your blood but have not been named as Heir. You should still study them in case that changes when you take your second inheritance test when you turn seventeen,” Andromeda said. “As far as properties go, you will spend the summer meeting with the goblins in charge of each of your holdings and then you may go and visit the ones that do not require repairs.”

Harry wanted to ask about his magical abilities, but before he had the chance to do so, Ganrig finished making a copy of his test and was preparing to move on to unsealing the Potters' Will. He filed away the original test and cleared away the dagger before a hidden door opened to admit a younger-looking goblin. He placed an ornate box on the desk and then hurried on his way without saying a word.

“I ask Mr. Potter to place his hand on the box, which will use a sample of his magic to verify that he is the son of James and Lily Potter. The contents of their Will are charmed to speak in their voices and a pensieve will be required as proof to the ministry that it has been read and fulfilled,” Ganrig told them.

“As a neutral third party, I will provide the pensieve,” Andromeda volunteered.

With that settled, Harry leaned forward in order to reach the box and laid his hand over the lid. It rapidly warmed and then there was a clicking sound that he took to mean it was unlocked, so he withdrew and sat back, letting Ganrig open the box.

At once, the voices of his parents filled the room.

“ _I, James Charlus Potter.”_

“ _And I, Lily Marie Potter.”_

“ _Of sound mind and body, do declare this to be my Last Will and Testament,”_ they spoke together, their combined voices making a powerful statement.

Harry struggled to listen to what they were saying, but was so taken aback by hearing their voices for the first time in his memory that most of his attention was on trying not to break down and cry. Most of it seemed to be straightforward anyway.

He was listed as their sole heir and beneficiary. All of the Potter properties and vaults belonged to him, which was reflected in his inheritance test. There were a few other names listed who would receive either galleons or personal belongings; Leona was named specifically by Lily, who left her a series of childrens stories. (A reminder of just how long ago their Will was meant to be read.)

“ _We name Remus Jane Lupin-Black as the magical guardian of our son, fully aware of the condition she is afflicted with. In the event that neither she, nor Harry's godparents - Sirius Orion Black and Alice Guinevere Longbottom – are able to take Harry in, guardianship will be passed to another approved name on the list we have tied to our Will,”_ James said.

“ _Under no circumstances is Harry to be left in the care of my sister, Petunia Evans Dursley, nor any member of my family,”_ Lily spoke up, her sweet voice firm.

“ _Furthermore, we must address the matter of our passing. If you are hearing this Will, then that means we have been betrayed by one we have long considered family. The Fidelius Charm performed on our house is one that is only broken by the death of the Secret Keeper. Should the charm be unbroken, it means they willingly gave us up to the one who calls himself Lord Voldemort.”_

“ _We name Peter Benjamin Pettigrew as our Secret Keeper and forewarn that he has an animagus form of a common brown rat. Further details are listed in a letter tied to our Will.”_

Aquarius gasped in shock, her hands rising to cover her mouth. Even Andromeda looked pale and shaken by the news, though Harry could only begin to guess why.

“With Harry's permission, I request a written copy of the Potters' Will to be sent to the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and be placed directly in the hands of Madam Amelia Bones, along with a duplicate pensieve so she may view my memories as well,” Andromeda said, taking obvious care with her words.

Once Harry gave permission for the copy, Ganrig agreed to have it sent, though he had one more question for them before he could do so: “Which House Crest will be placed upon your message?”

“I believe Potter and Black will be enough to garner her immediate attention.”

While Andromeda handled things with the letter, Harry leaned over to talk to Aquarius, who appeared to be on the verge of openly sobbing into her hands. Heavy tears rolled down her cheeks, dripping from her chin and onto her blue skirt.

“Are you okay?” he quietly asked her.

Aquarius shook her head. “W-we didn't know. Everyone thought... everyone thought someone else was their Secret Keeper. Everyone blamed him.”

Harry frowned, slowly piecing together why Andromeda was so intent on sending a copy of the Will. If everyone thought Peter Pettigrew was innocent, then that meant he was walking around freely. If everyone blamed someone else for betraying the location of James and Lily, then that meant there was an innocent person in jail.

“They can get him out, right?” Harry asked.

“I hope so.”

It only took Andromeda a few more minutes to get everything settled and then the three of them stood to thank Ganrig for his time and left his office. Aquarius and Harry had to nearly run in order to keep up with Andromeda's swift pace.

“Andy, what do we do now?” Aquarius asked.

“We go home and wait for news. I'll send a message to Remy and Leona from there,” Andromeda responded tersely. Her gaze flickered to Harry and she slowed down when she realized she was moving too quickly for them. “We have a great deal to talk about. There are things about our family we have deliberately kept quiet about and you need to know about them in order to understand the situation we are in now. Do not speak of anything that we have learned until we return to Oakstone, do you understand?”

“Yes,” Harry and Aquarius responded.

Andromeda nodded in satisfaction and the three of them silently walked through the streets and back to the building that held the Floo network.

Once there, Andromeda stopped for a moment to write a quick note. She tapped her wand to it and it folded itself up into the shape of a bird, which fluttered its wings as it took to the sky and went off in search of Remy and Leona.

They sent Aquarius through first and then Harry reluctantly tossed a pinch of floo powder into the flames and stepped through. He hoped Leona was right about getting used to traveling that way. It was very uncomfortable.

“Oakstone Manor,” he breathed out and was whisked away to his new home.


	3. Explanation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How about an extra-long chapter for this update?  
> Please let me know what you think. I thrive on comments and would love to hear from you all! I've also been thinking about starting a discord for talking about HP stuff. Would anyone be interested in that?

Amelia Bones was having what she would call an average day.

She arrived to work in a punctual manner and settled in for a long morning of paperwork and listening to the older Aurors complain about the current roster of new recruits. Lunchtime meant a stroll to the Ministry cafeteria for food, which was as bland as ever, and the chance to catch up with Arthur Weasley, who she recently assisted on a case involving a muggle and a doll whose song caused anyone who stopped to listen to become so enraptured with it that they would forget to do anything else. After that delightful conversation, she went through a round of her favorite game: avoiding Minister Fudge and his latest round of incompetence.

She was nearly two hours late returning to her desk, but to her surprise, she found only a few new files on her desk waiting to be reviewed.

They could wait, however, as she noticed the special stone bin that connected directly to Gringotts was no longer empty. There were very few reasons why the goblins would feel the need to contact her. Typically it had to do with magic so foul and revolting that no amount of gold would convince them to store it within their halls, but as Amelia took the scroll with no small amount of weariness, she couldn't help but feel it was something different.

There were two wax seals holding it shut. One in navy blue, which bore the crest of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black and the other in dark burgundy, which bore the crest of the Noble House of Potter.

Suddenly, Amelia wished she kept a bottle of firewhiskey on hand for stressful times. Just a quick shot of that to brace her nerves and she'd be golden. But she hadn't wanted to become the sort of Department Head who needed alcohol in order to do the harder parts of her job and she wasn't about to start.

So instead she sat and took a moment to gather her wits before carefully breaking each seal. Amelia placed a parchment stone on either end to hold it in place and then began to read, her eyebrows rising high as she realized she had been sent a copy of the Potters' Will. It was only when she reached the end that she realized why.

Peter Pettigrew.

Rage billowed up inside of her as she realized they had held an innocent man in the worst kind of prison the Magical World had to offer. She hadn't been Department Head at the time, just a simple Auror working her way up through the ranks, but she remembered the trials that occurred at the end of the war. She remembered questioning why Sirius Black hadn't received a trial.

At the height of the War, it had been decided that any caught red-handed working for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named could be sentenced to stay the rest of their days in Azkaban without trial. What was the point, when they were so clearly guilty? Two days after the Potters' death, that wartime condition had been lifted and trials resumed regardless of whether the guilty party was seen performing heinous acts or not.

Amelia closed her eyes.

Black was innocent in the matter of the Potters' deaths. But what about the explosion that killed twelve muggles? Was it from a spell cast from his wand or had he once again been blamed for Pettigrew's actions?

There was only one way to find out.

Amelia locked away the parchment so only she would be able to get to it and then stood and strode out of her office.

Sirius Black would not spend another day in Azkaban if she had anything to say about it.

* * *

Harry's patience was swiftly dwindling the longer he had to wait to get answers to his numerous questions. He sullenly stared at his cup of tea, letting the warmth seep into his hands, but made no move to drink any of it. Next to him on the couch, Aquarius was slowly sipping at hers.

The three of them were all seated in the Lapis Parlor, waiting for Remy and Leona to return from Diagon Alley so they could have a family discussion about what they learned during their trip to Gringotts. Harry knew it was rude but he wished they could start talking without them and at least clear up a few of his questions however, Andromeda was adamant that they wait.

By the time Harry's tea began to go cold, he could make out the sound of voices in another room of the manor. He sat up straight, watching the doorway until Leona and Remy appeared.

“Sorry it took us so long. We ran into the Malfoy's at Madame Malkins,” Leona apologized as she practically skipped over to the couch and sat down next to her sister. “Draco sends his regards, Harry. Apparently, he has also tried to write you this summer and hasn't gotten a response. He thought you were being rude, but I set him straight.”

Harry frowned. “Why would Malfoy want to write me? We're not friends.”

“Short answer: wizarding politics,” Leona said with a shrug. “Long answer: your personal history makes you a valuable ally and Draco has decided he'd rather not have you as an enemy. You'll learn more about all of that later,” she quickly wrapped up after a warning look from Andromeda.

Remy was a little slower to take her seat. “Did something happen at Gringotts? You came home earlier than we planned.”

“Certain... unknown truths came to light during the reading of the Will,” Andromeda said cautiously. “Remy, you should sit before you hear this. It's about the Secret Keeper.”

Remy went still, sucking in a deep breath, her amber eyes flickering to Harry with no small amount of fear reflected within them. Harry offered her a small smile, which only seemed to confuse her more.

“Sit,” Andromeda said, a little more firmly. She waited for Remy to listen and then began to speak again. “Harry, before we address this matter, there are a few things you need to understand about the way things were ten years ago. People lived in great fear. Fear for themselves, for their family, and for their friends. It was a time of paranoia. We were never fully sure who could truly be trusted. I knew your parents only by name and deed, but when they went into hiding I was so sure there was only one person who they would trust to serve as their Secret Keeper.”

“Sorry, but um, what's a secret keeper?” Harry asked.

He expected the answer to come from Andromeda but instead, it was Remy who answered.

“There's a highly complex bit of magic known as the Fidelius Charm. It's often used to keep family homes safe from outsiders. The way it works is that one person is chosen to carry the secret of its location and only they can reveal it, whether by directly telling others or through their death,” she said.

Harry frowned in thought. “So... the reason my parents died... it was because, um,” he paused a moment to remember the name spoken in the Will, wanting to be sure he had it right. “Peter Pettigrew told Vold- sorry, You-Know-Who where they lived?”

Remy looked utterly gobsmacked by the question and it took Harry a moment to realize why.

No one else knew it was Peter Pettigrew. They all thought it had been someone else who betrayed his parents. Someone else had been punished for crimes they didn't commit.

A rush of fury swept through him and Harry had to struggle to keep from exploding. An _innocent man_ was jailed because the world believed he betrayed his family and the one who actually did it still walked free! How could something like that happen in the magical world? Didn't they have better ways of finding out the truth? Had anyone _bothered_ to look into it once the war ended?

No, they decided that they had the right man and patted themselves on the back for a job well done and went about their lives.

“What does Uncle Peter have to do with it?” Leona asked bluntly.

“There was a rat,” Remy spoke up, her voice barely above a whisper. Her gaze was fixed on Leona, who frowned as she looked back at her mother. “I kept telling myself you must have overheard us talking... We knew there was someone leaking information, but we never knew who it was. It was all you said during that first week after... everything. You were so insistent, telling everyone who listened that there was a rat, but I was too distraught to listen.”

“I did?”

Remy offered a weak smile. “You were so young then – barely four years old – so it's no wonder you don't remember. I wouldn't want you to either. I just... I wish I had listened. Or fought harder against what everyone was saying.”

“No one was willing to listen. Not to any of us,” Andromeda said gently, reaching over to rest her hand over Remy's, which was gripping the arm of her chair tightly enough that the fabric looked as though it was about to rip. Andromeda took a deep breath and turned to Harry. “When the news of what happened to your family became common knowledge, everyone blamed my cousin for their deaths. He was their best friend. It was unthinkable that they would trust anyone else to keep them – and you – safe and hidden. Remy and I both tried to speak up in his defense, however...”

“No one would listen to the wife of a suspected Death Eater,” Remy said bitterly. “Especially not one who – well, especially not me.”

Andromeda gave her a look that Harry didn't understand and he decided he didn't want to. He had enough to deal with after the revelation of who betrayed his family, on top of his list of inheritances that he still didn't fully understand. To top it all off, it sounded an awful lot like the person who took the blame was none other than Sirius Black, his godfather and Leona's father, who he'd assumed died in the war by the way she always talked about him.

(He supposed he couldn't fault her for that. Not completely, at least. He never would have listened to her if she told him the truth from the beginning.)

“Dad's innocent?” Leona's voice broke a little. “But then... We have to do something!”

“I already have,” Andromeda stated calmly.

Aquarius nodded and spoke up for the first time since her sister and mother entered the room. “Andy sent a copy of the Will to Amelia Bones.”

Remy appeared to relax at the news and even Leona no longer looked as though she were seconds from jumping to her feet and doing something drastic.

“I expect we'll be hearing from her within the next few hours, hopefully with good news. It is likely that he will still have to go through a trial to determine what happened that night when he cornered Pettigrew.”

Harry listened as Andromeda told him about the events of that night. How they were told that Pettigrew tracked down Sirius and loudly accused him of betraying James and Lily, just before the entire street exploded and killed twelve muggles, as well as Pettigrew. How the biggest part of Pettigrew they found was a finger – odd, considering the bodies of the muggles were well intact.

All they could do was wait.

In the meantime, there was a great deal more to discuss. Harry quickly learned that the role of a Magical Guardian was to ensure he grew up in a stable household and was properly cared for, which also entailed teaching him everything he needed to know about the magical world.

Remy expressed her surprise that she was named as his guardian; years ago, when she first learned that Dumbledore had chosen where Harry would grow up, she assumed like everyone else that James and Lily had named him as the Magical Guardian. To learn otherwise was... disconcerting. She'd believed in the man and trusted him for nearly her whole life and then he took Harry away before anyone could think the question who he was meant to go to. She trusted him and he gave Harry to muggles who treated him as though he were less than the dirt on the bottom of their shoes.

Her hands trembled as she kept her rage from spilling over.

Harry knew what that was like. Keeping his emotions bottled up inside was something he was good at thanks to his time with the Dursley's.

The Dursley's! Harry realized with a start that he would _never_ be forced to return to Privet Drive again. Not when Remy was the one who was meant to look after him. Surely, she wouldn't...

She wouldn't send him back, would she?

“Harry's staying with us,” Leona said.

“If Harry wants to stay, then he's more than welcome,” Remy corrected her daughter. “Harry, before you make any big decisions, I think you should take more time to get settled in. I swear on my magic that I will never force you to return to your aunt and uncle, but it sounds like there are other options if you don't want to stay here.” She paused to give him time to agree, though all Harry really wanted to do was beg to stay in Oakstone with people who actually cared about him.

And then something else occurred to him.

For the first time ever, he was being given a choice. He had the freedom to say where he wanted to live.

It was more than he'd ever dared to hope for.

* * *

They didn't end up discussing his inheritance after that. With the startling news of Sirius' innocence, the five of them decided to take a break to wind down and let it all sink in. The adults remained in the parlor room to keep talking, while Leona and Aquarius led Harry around the manor on a tour.

If Harry weren't so familiar with the winding halls, trick doors, and moving staircases of Hogwarts, he would have called Oakstone Manor the most confusing building he'd ever been in. Who needed three parlor rooms or a grand ballroom anyway? It was all so much to take in, but Leona and Aquarius acted as though it were all perfectly normal.

Leona suddenly snapped her fingers. “We should show you the owlery! Hedwig has probably already found her way there and you should really send a letter to Hermione and Ron and let them know you're alright. I don't know why I didn't think of that sooner! I should write Gred and Forge as well.”

Harry assumed she was talking about the Weasley twins. “What if my letter doesn't go through? You said you've all been trying to write me, but I haven't gotten a single letter.”

Aquarius was quick to come up with a solution. “Leo and I can send the letters instead. If there's something specifically blocking you from sending or receiving them, it shouldn't affect us. Especially not with the house wards.”

“Brilliant!” Leona praised her sister.

Harry was led down another hall and up a spiral staircase which led to the top of one of the towers. There they stepped through the threshold into a round room that looked more like an office than an owlery. There was a wooden desk beneath one window and bins full of parchment and other types of paper. A special groove at the top of the desk held a collection of inkwells in a variety of colors and a pot to one side contained quills.

Directly across from the entryway was a second arch that was covered by a sheer blue curtain. Through it, Harry could make out the shape of at least one perch designed for an owl and he figured that was the actual owlery.

“What do we do if my mail is still blocked?” Harry asked.

“First we'd check the manor wards to make sure there are no holes or weaknesses in our defenses. If that isn't the problem, then Andy will probably have to go to the ministry and use her influence as the Black Regent to figure out what's happening,” Leona told him. She stepped up to the desk and swiped a piece of parchment and a flamboyant peacock-feather quill, which she dipped into an orange inkwell. “So, I'm just going to let Fred and George know that you're here and safe and that they don't need to steal their dad's car to go rescue you from those awful muggles. I guess I should mention the block on your mail too. Anything else I should add?”

Harry's heart skipped a beat. “They were going to come get me?”

“Of course.”

Leona neatly wrote her greeting across the top of the page and Harry caught a glimpse of the words: _“My dearest Gred and Forge, Purveyors of Mischief and Masters of the Noble Art of Marauding.”_

“Did you want me to write a note to your other friend, Harry?” Aquarius asked, distracting him from watching Leona's elegant script flow across the page.

“That would be great,” Harry said. “Her name's Hermione. Hermione Granger.”

Aquarius nodded as she selected a much more simple raven-feather quill and dipped it into a pot of deep violet ink. She slowly began to write, basing much of her letter on what Harry told her. _“To Miss Hermione Granger, My name is Aquarius Black and I'm writing to you for Harry...”_

__

Once the letters were written, the three stepped into the owlry and called down two of the Black family owls. One was a long-eared owl named Butternut, who was given the letter for Hermione, and the other a barred owl named Idun, who stared at Harry unblinkingly until the letter for the Weasley's was attached to her leg and she was able to take flight.

As Leona mentioned, Hedwig was in the owlry as well and had staked out her own perch away from the others. She hooted reproachfully when she watched the other two owls take flight and Harry was quick to reassure her.

“You had a long flight, girl. Get some rest and I'll have some letters for you to deliver later,” he said.

Hedwig ruffled her feathers, clearly still displeased, and remained where she was to sulk for a while longer. Harry left her alone and followed Leona and Aquarius back into the house and down the spiraling stairs.

“You'll be in the east wing with all of us. I think Andy gave you the blue room, which is right down the hall from Aquarius,” Leona told him. “If you want a different color, you should probably ask Tonks about it when they get home. They're the best at color-changing charms.”

“They?” Harry asked, hoping one of the girls would understand without him needing to elaborate.

“Tonks is nonbinary. They don't identify as exclusively male or female, so instead of saying he or she, we use they and them,” Leona said. Taking pity on him, she added: “I have a book called _Queer History of the Magical World_ that you can borrow. It should help with any more questions you have. And I'm sure Tonks would be happy to talk to you, if you'd prefer that.”

While he wasn't sure how much reading he really wanted to do, Harry accepted the offer so he could research enough to satiate his curiosity.

The east wing was a long, airy hall with tall windows that overlooked the back courtyard. Gauzy white curtains draped on each side of the windows, held up by a rod that Harry was almost certain was magically fixed to the wall.

They passed by one room which had a plaque over the door bearing Aquarius' name. She confirmed that it was her room without him needing to ask and they continued on their way down the hall.

“And that brings us to your room! Oh, it looks like Cici already added your name above the door. That was sweet of her,” Leona said, directing his attention to the plaque above the door. The name _Harrison_ was inscribed into the silver metal.

Spurred on by the sisters, Harry opened up the door and stepped into his new room. He could immediately see why it was called the Blue Room and while it wasn't overwhelming in color, Harry thought he might have to ask Tonks about changing it up a little. The floor was the same hardwood as the hall, but nearly everything else – the walls, curtains, bedding, and rugs – were all some shade of blue. The second thing he noticed was how big it was.

It was easily three times the size of his room at the Dursley's and also included a bathroom and what appeared to be a walk-in closet. It was almost as sparsely furnished, however, only featuring a bed, side table, and a desk in front of one of the windows. His trunk had been placed at the foot of the bed and on top was a magazine he didn't recognize.

Harry picked it up for a better look and raised an eyebrow when he read the cover. It wasn't a magazine at all, but some kind of catalog for furniture. Several pages were bookmarked.

“Cici and the other house-elves are really excited about you coming to stay with us,” Aquarius said from where she stood in the doorway.

Harry looked over at her. “I don't understand why. It's really nice of all of you to let me stay here, but I don't need anything else. This is great. Really.”

“It's because if you do want to live here with us, you deserve to make your room the way you want it. Leo and I both decorated our rooms,” Aquarius said. “Do you... do you want to relax here for a bit? I know Leona said something about a full tour, but I don't think you've had the chance to sit down for long since you got here. And after everything with your Inheritance test...”

“Actually, can we talk about that?” Harry asked, hoping to get some of his questions answered. He assumed most of it would have to wait until they were sitting with the adults again but he hoped Leona or Aquarius could tell him about a few things.

Like the Royal Houses. Or how he was Heir of four different Houses.

He quickly voiced his questions before Aquarius could turn him down and she appeared to think it over before sighing and agreeing to answer a few.

“We really should wait, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you a few things,” Aquarius allowed. She still hesitated in the doorway, visibly uncomfortable about stepping inside the room.

Harry wondered about that for longer than he probably should have and then realized she was waiting for an invitation. “You can come in.”

At once, Aquarius beamed at him and then walked inside. Harry gestured towards the bed and they both sat down on the edge, glad for the chance to relax after their journey up and then down the tower stairs.

She began to tell him about the Royal Houses and how they were founded during the time of King Arthur himself. Harry found that he didn't want to interrupt as she backed up to say that during the time of Uther – Arthur's father – magic was strictly forbidden in the kingdom and was punishable by death. It didn't matter if it was being used to heal or to harm, all use of magic was treated the same. It was a time of great fear for any who were born into magic.

It wasn't until several years after the death of Uther that King Arthur was able to begin reversing some of the laws. He had to work slowly and carefully, as the people had lived for many many years being fearful of all kinds of magic. And of course, he wasn't doing it all alone.

Seven trusted Knights of the Round Table stood fast by his side, keeping the laws as fairly as they could and offering advice when they were asked for it. There was also the great wizard Merlin, who acted as council to the young king, as well as Arthur's half-sister, the Lady Morgana le Fay, who was a powerful sorceress.

Together, they paved the way for a magical society that could exist alongside the mundane world. All went well for a time, but as with many things that go misunderstood, the people without magic could not escape the fear they felt and struck out against those who had it, ending the peaceful co-existing. From that moment on, it was clear that the magical world needed to be hidden.

Because of their role in helping create a safe haven for those with magic, Arthur and his most trusted members of court were all given titles in the new world. It was agreed that while Arthur and the Knights were not magic, there was the potential for someone in their line to one day be born into magic, and so they deserved a place in the magical world.

Naturally, King Arthur gave his the name House Pendragon. The Knights had more of a challenge and spend several days arguing over the best name before settling on House Caer Lleon. Merlin simply gave his the name House Emrys and Morgana the name House le Fay.

Harry listened to it all with rapt fascination. He knew there were stories about King Arthur and his court, but he always likened them to be little more than fairytales. “Does that mean I'm related to _Merlin?_ ”

Aquarius shrugged. “It was so long ago that you could be, but sometimes Magic finds a way to revive old bloodlines by choosing a new Heir. I think that's what happened with you. Your magic must be similar enough to Merlin's that you were selected to carry on the line of Emrys.” She glanced at the doorway, where Leona was casually leaning against the wall and listening to them talk.

“Did you know that there are rumors about the Black's being descended from Morgana?” Leona asked conversationally. “No one can say for sure if it's true or not, of course. There hasn't been a Head of House le Fay in a few hundred years and the last one lived such a secretive life that no one knows which House she was born into. I have that book for you, by the way.”

Harry hopped up from his bed so he could cross the room and accept the book. He decided to keep it on top of his trunk so that he would remember to look at it later, and then he, Leona, and Aquarius continued their tour through the manor, ending back at the parlor room where Remy and Andromeda were still talking.

Remy smiled warmly at the three kids as they entered the room. “How was your tour, Harry?”

“Pretty great,” Harry responded. “Thank you for the nice room.”

Andromeda and Remy exchanged looks that made Harry's stomach flip-flop.

“We are glad that you like it. We want you to feel comfortable here and even if you choose to live elsewhere, that will remain your room,” Andromeda said. “Now, perhaps we should take the time to go over your Inheritance test in better detail. I think it best to arrange your first appointment with one of your account managers before the end of today.”

“Sure,” Harry said as he sat down on the couch. He was flanked by Aquarius and Leona in a silent show of support. “Er, account managers?”

“Each of your Houses will have a goblin who is assigned to manage your vaults and any other assets. It would be good to meet with them so that you have a more in-depth look at what you own,” Andromeda explained.

With Harry's permission, the copy of his test was passed over to Remy to read. She teared up a little at the reminder that she was legally his Magical Guardian but quickly recovered as she moved on. “Core block,” she repeated, giving Andromeda a wide-eyed look. “We'll need to reverse that soon.”

Andromeda nodded in agreement. “I have already arranged a visit to St. Mungo's.”

“Sorry, but what's a core block?” Harry asked.

“It's fairly common in pureblood families whose children display accidental magic from a very young age. It's done for their protection and is then removed when they turn five and are able to control it a little better,” Andromeda replied. “The fact that you're able to properly and reliably cast spells with that block in place is truly remarkable, Harry.”

Remy read on, only stopping once more to ask Harry if he'd ever spoken to a snake before.

“Oh, yeah! Just before I started at Hogwarts, we went to the zoo and there was this boa constrictor who talked to me. Is that, er, odd?” Harry desperately hoped it wasn't. He stood out enough at Hogwarts and didn't need to add anything else to his oddness.

“Parseltongue, which is the ability to speak to snakes, is a very rare ability. Salazar Slytherin is the most infamous speaker of the language in Magical Britain, though it's a well-respected talent in other countries, particularly India.”

So it _was_ odd.

Harry would have to be sure not to speak to snakes in front of anyone.

“The biggest decision you have right now is simply: which House would you like to review first?” Andromeda asked.

“Potter,” Harry responded immediately.

Andromeda nodded. “Then we will arrange it. Perhaps for next week?”

With the adults promising to handle the situation and also taking the time to explain the way things were likely to work, Harry found himself finally able to relax. No one was judging him for the results of his test. Even Leona withheld her usual teasing.

He was going to enjoy living at Oakstone Manor and nothing would change his mind about that.


	4. Friendship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a little while, but here I am, back with a new chapter!

Hermione was worried.

How could she not be, after each letter she sent to Harry went unanswered? She even checked with Ron and got a response back the same day saying that he hadn't heard from their friend either. Two weeks was simply too long to not hear from him, especially after he promised to write.

She worried her lower lip as she reread the same paragraph in her book for the fifth time.

If she didn't hear from him soon, she would have to find a way to meet up with Ron and his family. Or perhaps Leona would have better advice for what to do. There had to be _someone_ who could help find out what was wrong – because something was very clearly wrong.

Hermione wasn't blind to the signs of abuse her friend exhibited. He never said a word, but she noticed the way he kept his head down and didn't ask their professors any questions. She noticed the ill-fitting muggle clothing that belonged to someone much bigger than Harry. She noticed how thin and small he was. The tape that one held his glasses together until she fixed them with a simple _reparo._ How he remained behind during the holidays and mentioned more than once how he wished he could stay at Hogwarts over the summer.

“Is everything alright, sweetheart? You've been glaring at your book for some time,” Mrs. Granger remarked.

Hermione glanced up, a little startled to find both of her parents sitting with her at the kitchen table. She hadn't heard either of them come into the room.

Before her letter, she had been exceptionally close to her parents. She could talk to them about nearly anything and they would understand – they were the closest she had to friends, as she had trouble relating to anyone her own age. And then her letter came and opened her eyes up to an entirely new world for her to explore, but it was a world that her parents would never fully understand. Suddenly, whenever she went to talk about her new textbooks or interesting details she had read, they both struggled to keep up.

They still cared. Hermione would never think otherwise. But there was a wedge forming between them brought about by her magic and she had spent the past two weeks trying to figure out how to bridge that gap when she wasn't worrying about Harry.

“It's my friend, Harry,” she admitted cautiously. “He hasn't written to any of us even though he promised he would and I'm concerned something might be wrong.”

“It could just be that he's been busy...” Mr. Granger trailed off as he took in the expression on his daughter's face.

Mrs. Granger reached across the table and gently squeezed Hermione's hand. “Is there any way we can help? Do you want to talk about it?”

“Harry lives with his Aunt and Uncle and... I don't think they treat him nicely. He's never said anything about it. Not really. But he's smaller than I am and I've _seen_ the muggle clothing he wore when we returned from Hogwarts. It's like it was meant for someone three-times his size!” Hermione let the words flow, knowing her parents would be able to keep up with her train of thought. She bulldozed her way through her concerns, glad for the chance to rant, and when she was done both of her parents looked pensive.

“You're certain about all of this? Child abuse is a serious claim, Hermione,” reminded Mr. Granger.

Hermione nodded.

Knowing that they were taking her seriously, she gave them all of the details she knew about Vernon and Petunia Dursley and hoped that it would be enough to make some sort of change in her friend's life. Her parents left her alone once she finished and Hermione went back to her book, only to be interrupted a few minutes later by a persistent tap against the window.

She looked up.

Perched on the stand her parents placed specifically for owls was a wide-eyed bird with tall ears and an orange-brown face. White spots dotted its brown chest.

Hermione felt a flash of disappointment that it wasn't Hedwig but still stood to allow it inside. It hooted softly as it stepped up onto her arm and then stuck out its leg so she could open the attached capsule and remove a letter, which magically expanded back to its full size once it was in her hand.

She carried the owl over to the perch she bought and gave it a treat before settling back at the table to examine her letter.

The envelope was sealed with a thin layer of blue wax and stamped with a crest bearing a dog – maybe a greyhound? It seemed familiar, but Hermione couldn't place where she'd seen it before, so she cautiously broke the seal and pulled out the letter, her eyes scanning over unfamiliar handwriting before she actually took in any of the words.

_To Miss Hermione Granger,_

_My name is Aquarius Black and I'm writing to you for Harry. We think he has a block on his mail, which is why you have not heard from him this summer and why he has not received any of your letters. To get around this, I'm writing instead._

_Harry is here with me and Leona and our family and will not be going back to his muggle relatives. You can write to him at Oakstone Manor, but for now you should address your letters to Leona until we find out what's blocking Harry's mail._

_There's a lot going on right now, but Leona says you're welcome to join us at the manor in a week or two. Hopefully by then Harry will be able to send you a letter without our help._

_Sincerely,_

_Aquarius Lily Black_

_P.S. The owl is named Butternut and she is a long-eared owl. She'll wait until you're ready to send a letter back, since Harry says you don't have one of your own._

Harry was alright.

He was safe and with Leona and her family.

A weight lifted from Hermione's shoulders as she reread the letter from Aquarius, belatedly recalling that Leona had mentioned something about having a little sister.

It was strange that Harry's mail was blocked, especially considering he hadn't had that problem while he was at school. Maybe that was what Aquarius meant when she said they had “a lot going on”. Well, that and getting custody over Harry, which couldn't be as easy as picking him up and refusing the return him to his Aunt and Uncle.

Hermione looked over at Butternut the owl, who was happily settling down for a nap after her long flight. She would write a letter back in a while, but first Hermione needed to tell her parents what happened.

She stood up and hurried away to find them.

* * *

With every ounce of the famed Gryffindor courage that he possessed, Harry knocked on Remy's office door and waited until she welcomed him inside before opening the door. As he looked around, he found it was nothing like what he expected an office to look like and yet, at the same time, exactly what he expected.

A massive bookcase made up an entire wall of the room, filled to the brim with books of varying sizes as well as unusual orbs and other items. A desk was pushed up against the opposite side and had its own shelves on either side of it, which contained everything a person would ever need to write a letter. A plush amber rug patterned with roses rested in the center of the room. And opposite the door was a tea table with two chairs, which allowed for a view over the side yard.

Remy was seated at the table.

“You wanted to see me?” Harry asked, unable to shake the feeling of being called to the teacher's office to explain some imagined “misbehavior”. (Which usually had something to do with whatever excuse the Dursley's invented to explain why he lived with them.)

Remy gestured to the empty seat with a smile. “Come join me.”

The smile did little to ease his fears and Harry had to take a moment to remind himself that Remy was Leona's mum and that she wasn't anything like his family or the teachers he dealt with while growing up. He couldn't imagine what she wanted to talk to him about. Unless...

Harry swallowed as he sat down.

He'd known it was all too good to be true. Remy and Andromeda already had a house full and it was one thing to invite him to stay for one summer, but taking him in permanently was something far different.

“I want to apologize, Harry.”

He closed his eyes, already accepting what he knew he was about to hear.

“I can't help but feel as though I've failed you as your magical guardian. First by allowing my grief to overcome me so badly that I never tried to check in on you until it was too late and then in not insisting on being allowed to visit. And in failing you, I failed James and Lily,” Remy said softly.

Harry dared to look up, disbelief keeping him from speaking. He wasn't getting sent away...?

“On top of that, today I learned that Sirius has been innocent all along and I allowed myself to get swept right back up into my grief, never thinking to stop and ask you how you feel about all of this.” Remy paused for a moment to lift her eyes and look at him. “Andromeda mentioned you didn't ask many questions about your Inheritance test. Is there anything you wanted to talk about?”

Harry shrugged. He had plenty of questions, but no idea where to start with any of it.

Remy was quiet for a moment, giving him plenty of time to speak up, and then began to explain their plans for the next week. “We received a letter from Madam Bones saying that Sirius is no longer in Azkaban and is in a Ministry holding cell instead. He's being treated by a team of hand-picked Healers to make sure he's ready to stand trial at the end of the week. We won't be allowed to visit until then.

“While we wait, Ted had a few suggestions to make sure no one has real reason to fight my claim as magical guardian. You'll need to make a trip to St. Mungo's to get the core block cleared up and so they can examine the damage left by your scar. Ted thinks the block made it so your magic couldn't respond to the injury effectively and that it'll be an easy fix, but it's always better to be careful. While you're there, you'll also get a basic check-up and they'll make sure you're up-to-date on magical vaccinations. If it's alright with you, we have already scheduled that for tomorrow.”

Harry nodded in agreement. He didn't see any reason not to.

“Excellent,” Remy said, her smile returning. “Now, I know you said you don't have any questions, but I thought we could review your Inheritance test. There are a few things Leona is unlikely to have had time to teach you yet.”

Harry sat up a little straighter as she removed a folded up copy of his test from her pocket and smoothed it out over the table. The name _Slytherin_ beckoned to him but he remained quiet.

“House Inheritance is always listed in order of importance,” she said, beginning at the bottom of the list. “House Potter, while well-respected in our society, is only a Noble House. In terms of power, it means it carries a single vote within the Wizengamot. Have you heard much about what the Wizengamot does, Harry?”

He had to think for a moment. “They... make laws?”

“It is the lawmaking body of the British magical community,” Remy confirmed. “As I was saying, House Potter carries one vote. Next is House Peverell, which is a Noble and Most Ancient House. While no one carries the surname any longer, there are those in higher circles who have always remained aware that the main line married into the Potter family. James was a Peverell Heir as well, though he never had time to take up the Lordship with the war going on.” She paused for a moment. “Noble and Most Ancient Houses carry three votes within the Wizengamot. For several hundred years, they have held the most voting power.”

Remy slid her finger up to Slytherin. “The Founder Houses earned the title Noble and Ancient long after their lines faded away. Despite only being Noble and Ancient, which in most cases allowed for two votes, they have four votes within the Wizengamot.”

“What does the part after it mean? The conquest thing?” Harry blurted out.

Remy didn't appear at all bothered by the interruption. “It's a rare form of bloodline transfer. It only occurs when the last members of two bloodlines meet each other in battle with the intent to kill. We believe Voldemort-” (She shuddered as she spoke the name.) “-was the last remaining Heir of Slytherin. When he turned his wand onto you and his magic rebounded, Magic passed along the line of Slytherin to you.”

“So we're not related?” Harry had to double-check.

“No,” Remy said, shaking her head. “Perhaps distantly; most purebloods are related in some way, but it wouldn't be closely.”

That was the most relieving thing Harry had heard since Leona said he wouldn't have to go back to the Dursley's. The very thought of being related to _Voldemort..._

Harry clenched his hand into the fabric of his too-large pants. “Do I have to be the Heir?”

“Well, I don't think you have to announce it to everyone,” Remy said slowly. “When you turn seventeen you'll take the Inheritance test again to see if any other lines have accepted you and then you'll be given your Lordship rings. Even if magic declares you the Heir to a line, the family magics may still reject your claim to Lordship. After that, however, it won't be something you can hide.”

Privately, Harry hoped the magic of Slytherin would reject him and he wouldn't have to be Heir or Lord.

“On to your final House...” Remy moved her finger to the top of the list. “The Royal House of Emrys, of Merlin himself.”

Even though he already knew that Emrys was the House of Merlin, Harry still shivered as he realized he was heir to one of the most powerful magical Houses in Britain.

“I can't say that I understand all of it myself, but I wasn't born into any kind of Noble or Ancient House,” Remy admitted. “The one thing I do know is that Magic Herself chose you to be Heir of that line.”

“What does that mean?” Harry asked.

“Historically, it means that change is coming. Where one Royal House shows up, the others quickly follow,” Remy told him. “But you don't need to worry about any of that right now. We'll take this one step at a time, starting with your family House.”

Harry nodded. He already felt better after listening to her explain a few things. And she hadn't reacted poorly when he asked questions, instead seeming happy to answer each one. “So what about the, um, recessive lines?”

Remy looked delighted by the question and slowly took the time to talk a little about each one. House Evans was started by Lily, of course, as the first of her name. It was likely to be a matriarchal line which would pass to any of Harry's daughters, if he had any.

House Larkspur also came through Lily and was a very old House whose last member passed away nearly three-hundred years prior. They were once famed for their production of blue inks derived from the flower for which they were named. Remy further explained that Lily came into the inheritance through a squib ancestor.

And the last was House Eerie, an Ancient House that merged with Peverell in the 1600s. The title had been a dormant one since then, with no one being named Heir nor Lord. It was unlikely that Harry would be granted to title either, but the fact that it remained strong enough in their bloodline that it routinely appeared in the Inheritance tests meant that one day the Ancient House would return to its former glory.

Harry lost track of time as he sat and listened to Remy talk. He didn't hesitate to ask questions as they came to mind, helped along by the fact that his new guardian never once made him feel as though he wasn't allowed.

“I was wondering about my core. Leona said there would be things she couldn't teach me because the Potter's are a Light family, but my test says that have a Dark core,” Harry said.

Remy thought for a moment. “That... I'm unsure about. It's true that House Potter has always had Light leanings, but I don't believe it's a requirement. Sirius would know for certain. He was informally adopted by your grandparents when he was sixteen. Was there something specific you wanted to know about your core orientation?”

“I-I guess I was just wondering... I mean, isn't Dark magic bad?” Harry asked hesitantly.

“Unfortunately, that is not a question that can be answered with a simple yes or no, but I can tell you that having a Dark core does not make you a bad person. With the exception of Ted, who has a Gray core, everyone living here in Oakstone is Dark,” Remy said.

“You too?” Harry asked in surprise.

Remy nodded. “Me too. It's not typical of the Lupin family, but... there are extenuating circumstances...”

For the first time, Harry thought she looked uneasy.

“There's something you should know about me if you want to stay here. It's part of the reason why I never tried to fight for custody of you. Why no one wanted to listen when I protested Sirius' arrest at first.

“I'm a werewolf.”

The word drew up stories of full moons and wolf-like creatures hunting in dark forests in search of prey. Harry hadn't stopped to think that maybe some of the muggle ghost-stories he grew up hearing other kids talk about might have some sort of truth to them in the wizarding world and he wished that he paid more attention to them.

Looking at Remy, he couldn't see her as a bloodthirsty monster however, there was no reason for her to lie about something like that. So she was a werewolf. But what did that mean in the wizarding world?

Judging by the way Remy was acting it wasn't a good thing. It was enough to stop anyone from listening to her about serious matters, but not enough for them to take Leona and Aquarius out of her care. Would it be something that would nullify her guardianship of him? Or...

“Did my parents know?” he asked.

“They did,” Remy confirmed. “Your father figured it out fairly early on in school but didn't confront me about it until our third year. As for Lily, she never said when she found out. I think I mentioned in my letters how I never got to know your mother until our final two years. I remember vividly the first time she made a joke about it – calling it my 'furry little problem' with such ease that I wouldn't have caught on if it weren't for James and Sirius. They thought it was hilarious, of course, and referred to my condition in that way ever since.”

Harry did his best to gather his thoughts before saying anything else. “Okay, so you're a werewolf. And my mum and dad knew. And everyone here?”

“Leona and Aquarius have known since they were old enough to understand what it meant. I want to assure you, Harry, that I take every precaution possible during the full moon. Ted isn't a master, but as a healer, he has some skill in potions, and he brews me the Wolfsbane potion every month. It helps me keep my human mind so that I don't try to attack anyone. I also leave for a cottage that exists behind a number of protective wards designed to keep me in and everyone else out. I would never put you or anyone else in danger,” Remy said quickly.

Harry thought he'd much rather take the risk of being in a house with a werewolf than go back to the Dursley's, especially when said werewolf actually cared about his well-being. So he shrugged and turned his attention back to his Inheritance test, completely missing the shocked expression that came across Remy's face.

“So what about these abilities? Parseltongue is the snake language one, right? Does that mean dragonspeak is talking to _actual_ dragons?”

“I- er, yes,” Remy said, her voice a little strained. “Dragonspeak is an incredibly rare ability. I'm afraid not much is known about it, but I'll be glad to help you research, if you'd like.”

Harry nodded and their conversation continued on, lightly covering the topic of the properties and vaults which he inherited - “You'll learn more about those through Gringotts.” - and then onto stories about his parents. Neither seemed to notice exactly how much time had passed until Andromeda knocked on the door to inform them that it was nearing midnight and that they had another busy day ahead of them.

Harry crawled into bed with thoughts of his parents and their friends, back when times were peaceful and easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In between writing, I've been working on setting up a Harry Potter discord server and I'm happy to say that it is now ready to be joined! Introducing: Virtu Alley! (like "virtually", get it?) (https://discord.gg/AUq3eXY) Feel free to pop by and chat if you'd like.   
> And don't forget, if you enjoyed this chapter then leave a comment below!


	5. An Unwelcome Visitor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're looking for a place to chat about the Harry Potter universe, you should check out Virtu Alley! It's a Discord server for all things Harry Potter. Or you can hop into one of the general discussion channels if you're not up for a strictly HP-related conversation. You can find it here: https://discord.gg/AUq3eXY

If Harry thought his first day at Oakstone Manor was hectic, it was nothing compared to the next morning, when he awoke to a loud crash coming from the hall, quickly followed by a stream of apologies from Nymphadora Tonks (who threatened to hex him if he dared called them by their full first name) and Andromeda's much quieter admonishment.

Harry found himself grinning despite the rude awakening. It was so much better than getting woken up by Aunt Petunia.

He'd met Tonks the night before when they arrived just as dinner was being arranged on the table. The very first thought he had was that they were the embodiment of everything the Dursleys hated. Short, bright pink hair was shaved on either side of their head and the length on top was gently spiked upwards. Several piercings dotted their ears and whenever they gestured with a wild flourish Harry could see that their fingernails were painted pink to match their hair.

“Wotcher, Harry,” they said with a wink and their hair shifted from pink to purple to blue and then back again.

Harry thought they were brilliant.

Andromeda's husband – Ted Tonks – was a cheery and friendly man who engaged Harry in effortless conversation about growing up in the muggle world and how shocking it was to be thrown into the magical one. He spoke only a little of his work in the pediatric ward of St. Mungo's, instead choosing to focus on learning more about Harry, as well as catching up with everyone else.

Altogether they were the picture of a healthy, functioning family.

Morning flew by and all Harry could do was sit back out of the way and watch everyone rush around in preparation for the rest of the day. Ted was the first to leave, kissing Andromeda on the cheek before flooing away to St. Mungo's. A short while later, Tonks headed out the front door, giving an explanation that they were meeting their mentor in a secret location. Harry watched as they spun on their heel and vanished with a popping sound.

Andromeda sat them all down for lessons after that. She gave Leona and Aquarius worksheets to do and then cast a silencing charm around Harry's chair so she could verbally quiz him and help fill in any blanks in his basic knowledge. He was pleased when he remembered most of what Leona had taught him, but faltered when it came to naming other Heirs he attended school with.

From there he listened with rapt attention as Andromeda covered the current active Lords and Heirs of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, of which House Black was one.

Their studies took up the rest of the morning and it was only after lunch that Harry was saved from going back to it.

Remy went with him to St. Mungo's for his appointment, only stepping out of the room for the examination and vaccinations and returned once Harry said it was okay. He wasn't terribly surprised when his healer – Adam Rue – told him that he was undernourished and that his eyeglass prescription was out-of-date.

“I am prescribing a nutrient potion for you to take with dinner each evening. I understand you'll be going back to Hogwarts in September and I will make arrangements to inform Madam Pomfrey that you are to take one each day,” said Healer Rue.

Harry fidgeted, a little worried about his schoolmates finding out he needed potions. “Do I have to take it in the Great Hall?”

“If you truly wanted to, you could always travel down to the hospital wing each evening however, the way we typically handle potions like this is to simply charm it into your goblet so that no one else is aware. The house-elves of Hogwarts are quite talented when it comes to matters of secrecy,” Healer Rue said with a reassuring smile.

He then told Harry and Remy that they could visit the offices just down the hall to either update Harry's eyeglasses or have his vision corrected completely.

“Mr. Potter, I don't mean to make assumptions about your care growing up, however I'd also like to recommend visits with one of our mind healers for the rest of the summer,” Healer Rue told them. “If for no other reason than to ease your transition into a wizarding household. All of our mind healers are sworn to keep the secrets of their patients, but if you are still uncomfortable with speaking to someone in Britain considering your status, you could hire a private healer from overseas. I would be happy to recommend a few who I have personally worked with in the past.”

“Healer Rue, can I ask about the damage left by the Magic Block?” Remy asked.

“We have removed it, of course, and taken the time to examine the damage from the curse scar. It seems that the block prevented your magic from fully cleansing it, Mr. Potter, and now that it is gone you'll see a significant ease in using your magic. That being said, our recommendation is a minimum of two weeks before you cast any spells in order to give your core time to adjust to the influx of power. A month, if you can manage it,” said Healer Rue.

Harry nodded. It wasn't like he was allowed to use his magic during summer anyway. He was sure it would be easy to go another month without casting.

Remy asked a few more questions about Harry's health and then Healer Rue handed her the prescription for the nutrient potions, which was signed and marked with his magical seal to prove its validity, as well as a list of recommended mind healers. He then guided the two of them down the hall to the office which specialized in eye-care, stepping inside to inform the receptionist that they were there for a thorough exam.

While they waited for one of the healers to become available, Harry got the chance to browse through the different frames that were available and, at Remy's urging, tried on a few to see if he liked any.

Each one was an improvement on the cheap, circular frames the Dursley's had “graciously” given him.

Remy chuckled as she glanced over a selection of frames catering to the older crowd. “Your father was always fond of horn rims. He thought they made him look rather smart. Your mother always said it made him look like more of a ponce than he already was.”

“She really said that?” Harry asked, looking away from a pair of frames that was continually shifting colors.

“Well, at first,” Remy corrected herself. “Your father was a good man and a good friend, Harry, but as a teenager he was... well, a bit entitled. Sirius was as well. I imagine it comes from being part of an old pureblood family. It all made it so your mother was less than impressed by him which only made him try harder. He came around by our sixth year, but I'll have to tell you more about it later.”

She nodded towards something over Harry's shoulder and he turned to find a woman in soft green robes walking towards them. Her badge bore the name Healer Agatha Newmark.

“You must be Harry,” she said in a chipper tone. “I'm Aggie. You can both come with me and I'll get you sorted out.”

Harry and Remy followed her back to a smaller room, where Harry sat down in a chair that faced a poster with differently sized numbers and letters. She first had him remove his glasses and attempt to read the lowest line, which he found impossible. He couldn't fully make out any letter until the third line down, but even that was blurry enough that he struggled.

A few waves of her wand had an enchanted quill scratching out the details of his eyesight and once it finished, Healer Newmark went into detail on the options available to him. Harry could get a new pair of frames with his updated prescription, charmed unbreakable and scratch resistant for up to two years, or he could get his vision corrected completely and no longer need glasses.

“Everyone is a little different and I know just as many people who like the way they look while wearing glasses as I do people who jumped at the first opportunity to have the correction done,” said Healer Newmark. “The correction is, of course, more expensive than a pair of frames, but we do have a finance program for anyone who prefer a staggered payment.”

“Harry, it's up to you,” Remy said quietly.

He didn't think about it for long. From the moment he first heard there was a chance he wouldn't have to deal with his glasses any longer, he hoped it was true. No more crooked frames. No more feeling around for his glasses every morning. No more worry about a bludger knocking them from his face and leaving him completely blind.

“I'd like to get it corrected.”

* * *

Harry expected that they would be heading home after he was finished at St. Mungo's but instead, Remy whisked him away into wizarding London to a street near Diagon Alley named Asymetric Alley, which looked like a village out of a history book, with rough, winding cobblestone streets and old timber-framed shops all pressed close together.

It gave a cozy, warm vibe that Diagon Alley didn't have, giving the impression that loitering was welcome on the streets and stopping to chat with those you walked past was a way of life.

Harry didn't spare that more than a passing thought, too busy marveling over the clarity with which he was able to see the world. There were so many details that he hadn't been able to see before! Things that he'd come to accept as being blurry around the edges suddenly had sharp outlines and signs that he once had to squint just to read he only had to glance at and know what they said!

Remy treated him to ice cream and then they were off to visit a number of shops where Harry was asked to pick out clothing, new shoes, and then helped pick out ingredients for dinner that night so Cici could make his favorite meal. Their last stop was a used bookstore, where Remy picked up an order that was waiting for her and she encouraged him to take a look around.

Harry wasn't terribly interested until he spotted a small book titled _Fallacies of the Rankings of the Sacred Twenty-Eight_ and after reading the back cover thought that if it turned out to be something he didn't like, Hermione was likely to find it fascinating.

He was about to turn to go when a heavy thump stopped him. When he looked, he saw a dark green book laying face-up on the floor. Swooping gold lettering informed him that it was called _The Magical Court of Camelot – The Truth Behind the Legends_ and that it was written by someone named ML Black. He picked it up and took it to the counter.

“Aunt Remy, look at this,” he said, holding up the book for her to see.

Remy examined it with interest, her eyes lingering longest on the name of the author. “ML Black... It's not a name I'm familiar with, but it Andy might know it. Would you like to get it?”

Harry nodded. “And this one too,” he said, as he passed to her _Fallacies of the Rankings of the Sacred Twenty-Eight_.

She seemed a bit amused by the second book but didn't say a word against it, quickly passing it off to be rung up. Remy paid for it all and even got Harry a tote bag to carry them in and then they were off once again.

“I think it would be best to side-apparate on our way back. Floo travel is more difficult when you're carrying packages,” said Remy.,

She explained what it was and how it worked as she lead him towards a sectioned off area marked: Apparation Point. One side was designated as Arrival and the other Departure, which Harry supposed helped keep things more orderly. He felt a little nervous as he looped his arm around Remy's and squeezed his eyes tightly shut as she directed him to spin on his heel with her. Harry felt the weight of pressure all around him and his stomach roiled uncomfortably, and then it was over and they were on the road just outside of the gate to Oakstone Manor.

“Unpleasant, isn't it?” Remy asked, sounding apologetic. “I know it's not a comfort right now, but you will get used to it as you get older. By the time you learn to apparate, the most you'll feel is that pressure around you.”

Harry didn't know how to respond to that and simply shrugged his shoulders before following her through the gate (which opened at their approach) and back into the manor.

“Evie?” Remy called out.

There was a popping sound and then a new house-elf in gray and blue appeared. She immediately bowed, which caused the bright yellow kerchief to start slipping off her head until it got caught on her massive ears. When she straightened up, she beamed at the sight of the bags in Remy's arms. “Do you need Evie to take them to your room, miss? And put them away?”

“That would be wonderful. Only the books go to my room. Everything else will go to Harry's,” Remy told her.

Evie nodded quickly and turned her attention to Harry. “Evie will organize them very nicely, young sir! If it's not to your liking you can call for Evie or Cici and we'll come help!”

“Oh, um, thank you, Evie. I'm sure you'll do great.” Harry wasn't sure if that was the right thing to say, but Evie didn't look upset as she bounced over to take the bags. Once she had them in her arms, she popped away without another word.

“Tonight I think we'll burn your hand-me-downs,” Remy said conversationally. “But for now, you deserve a chance to rest and do whatever you'd like until dinner. Leona still has another hour of tutoring to get through, but Aqua should be free by now. She'll be in the library, if you'd like to find her.”

Harry needed a refresher on how to get there and once Remy gave him directions on the easiest path to take – up the main staircase to the second floor, take a left and go to the end of the hall, where you take another left, and enter the second door on the right – he set off to find Aquarius.

Just like Remy said, she was sitting in the library in a squishy armchair beneath one of the windows, a heavy looking book open in her lap. Aquarius looked up when she heard the door open and beamed when she spotted Harry peeking inside.

“You're back! And you're not wearing any glasses?”

Harry grinned at her as he stepped fully into the library. “I don't need them anymore.”

“Brilliant!” Aquarius responded. “You have a letter, by the way. Butternut brought a response from your friend while you were away.”

Harry looked to the side table where she gestured and saw a envelop sitting there. When he walked over and picked it up, he found himself recognizing Hermione's tidy handwriting and eagerly ripped it open to see what she wrote.

_Dear Harry,_

_I'm so glad to hear you're alright! Ron and I were terribly worried that something awful happened to you once you got home. Please thank Aquarius for sending me the letter saying that you're safe with her and Leona. She says that you're not going back to your muggle relatives. Is it true? Did they do something to keep you from receiving letters? I know you are all looking into what happened, but I think I'll do some research of my own and see what I can find. I'll keep you updated!_

_I've talked to my parents about visiting you this summer and they have agreed to it, though they'd like to talk to Leona's mum about it first. I think they want to make sure it's alright with her. Will Ron be joining us as well? He hasn't mentioned any visiting, but it does sound like the Weasley's have a full house anyway and I would hate to add to that. I think meeting up at Diagon Alley would be a far better idea, especially since it would let my parents meet the Weasley's. They didn't get much time to talk at King's Cross._

_It probably won't surprise you but I've done quite a lot of reading so far this summer. Most of my homework is already complete, except for that essay on goblin wars that Binns assigned. I must admit, even I find it a bit droll and difficult to complete. All I can hear is his voice droning on. If you'd like, we can review our summer studies together when I visit! And please tell Leona that I've finished the books she recommended. I suppose I should just write a letter to her instead of using you as a personal owl._

_What's Oakstone Manor like? It must be exciting to see a wizarding home!_

Hermione's letter carried on like that as she wrote about whatever came to mind. She spoke a little of her parents and how excited they were to hear about her first year at Hogwarts and then went into more detail of how she spent her summer when she wasn't studying or reading. Every now and then she'd circle around to ask him a question about what it was like living with Leona. Was there a library? Had he had time to do any of the summer homework?

There was only one reference to Professor Quirrel, who had disappeared sometime before the End-of-Term feast, and that was to say there was a small article in the prophet about there being a warrant for his arrest and how any sightings should be immediately reported to the DMLE.

Harry wondered if Tonks knew anything about that. Would they be able to tell him anything if they did?

He folded up the letter and stuck it into his pocket, resolving to answer Hermione when he had time later. “Reading anything interesting, Aquarius?”

She silently tilted her book so he could read the cover and Harry was delighted to find he could see the words without having to squint. _The Complete Beginners Guide to Potion Brewing_ was the name of her book and Harry wondered just how in-depth it went to make it so it was at least five centimeters thick.

“Leo says that Professor Snape will probably look for any reason to take points from me or give me detention, so I thought if I start studying now then he won't be able to find as many,” she explained with an easy shrug.

There was something about the idea of Snape harassing Aquarius that rankled Harry. She was a ten-year-old girl who hadn't done a thing wrong and she was already prepared to be utterly humiliated by one of her professors, who took issue with who her parents were. It was bad enough that Snape targeted him and Neville – though he _still_ didn't know why he demonstrated such loathing towards Neville.

Instead of saying anything, Harry left Aquarius to her reading and took a seat in a nearby chair to check out his two new books. The first one he grabbed was the one on Camelot, which reminded him of a question he had.

“Hey, Aquarius? Do you know of anyone called 'ML Black' who might be related to you?”

“Not in recent history,” Aquarius said slowly. “It _does_ sound familiar, so there must be someone with those initials on the family tree. Why do you ask?”

“They wrote this book I found. _The Magical Court of Camelot – the Truth Behind the Legends_ ,” Harry told her.

Aquarius marked her page and set it aside, her eyes alight with interest. “And it's written by a Black?”

Harry nodded.

“Follow me!” Aquarius said, hopping up out of her chair.

Feeling a little bewildered, Harry left his things in his seat and got up to follow her through the tall shelves of the library and to a spot tucked away in a back corner. There was a heavy, navy blue curtain hanging across an elaborate archway and stepping through revealed a rounded alcove. Candles on either side of the arch lit themselves when they stepped through, illuminating the nearly black walls to reveal a massive tree painted in silver ink, its branches rigid and following a clear structure.

Most notably, it was upside down, with the base of its trunk resting where the wall met the ceiling.

“This is the Black Family Tree, which dates back to our earliest magical ancestor, Ambroise Fabron,” she said, pointing up to the top. “They were blacksmiths. He brought his knowledge of the craft to the magical world and then applied enchantments to make it even better. His greatest achievement was a charm embedded within cookware that made it easier to clean without repeatedly using scourgify.”

Harry's brows knitted together. “But that means... he was muggleborn?”

“If you go far back enough in a pureblood line, you'll find many muggleborns. It just didn't matter as much back then,” Aquarius said. She reached out and placed her hand on the wall, waiting for the space to light up silver before dragging her hand down. As she did so, the tree scrolled down until the trunk was nearly eye-level with them and the rest of the branches danced across the floor.

“Ambroise had three children. Two were girls who married into other lines and the other was a son, Michel, who continued the name Fabron and took up his father's work...” Aquarius continued to move down the three, explaining a little more about what little they still knew about their ancestors, until she came to Michel's third son, Célestin, who moved to the UK and changed his surname to Black before going on to revolutionize the production of cauldrons. “Oh! Harry, here she is! _Mnemosyne Lucinda_ Black! She married Célestin! No wonder the name sounded familiar!”

“There could be another ML Black somewhere,” Harry pointed out.

“There could be,” Aquarius agreed. “But considering she was born in the seven-hundreds, I think it's probably her. It's too bad the tree doesn't list maiden names. I would have loved to know which family line she came from but I don't think any of our records have it listed. We can always ask Leo or Andy.”

Harry almost wanted to continue looking at the family tree to see if there was anyone else, but there were _so many names_. Not to mention Aquarius had a good point about the timeline. Mnemosyne would have been born close enough to the era of King Arthur's reign that she could gather correct details about that period. Maybe the book itself would have something in it to confirm his thoughts.

Aquarius released the magic that lowered the tree, allowing it to move back to its correct location across the wall. “I bet the Potter manor has a tree showing all of your ancestors too. You must be excited to go see it.”

“I hadn't thought much about it, to be honest,” Harry admitted. “Haven't had the time.”

There was a lot he suddenly had to think about and he wished he had the first clue where to start. Maybe if he had a moment to himself, he could slow down to think things through.

“If you want some time to yourself, you don't need to stay here with me in the library,” Aquarius said, sounding sympathetic.

“You don't want to look at the book?” Harry asked.

Aquarius shook her head. “It's yours to read first. I may take a look around and see if we have a copy on one of the shelves. Its likely, since it _was_ written by a Black.” She pushed the curtain aside and then walked through, continuing to hold it for Harry as he followed.

After a bit of thought, Harry remained with Aquarius in the library and the two sat silently read their books until Leona came to fetch them for dinner.

“Hey, bookworms, it's time to eat!”

She grinned at the pair of them when they looked up, both surprised at how much time had passed. While Aquarius marked her page and set her book aside to read later, Harry put his back in his bag so he could take it to his room after dinner.

“How were your lessons, Leo?” Aquarius asked.

“Dull,” Leona responded with a groan. “Andy has me practicing with old speeches so I know how to properly present myself during Wizengamot meetings. It's important, sure, but I can't think of anything more boring.”

“History of Magic,” Harry responded immediately.

“The Annual Yule Ball at Malfoy Manor,” Aquarius supplied cheekily.

“Brats,” Leona said affectionately. “Yeah, you might be right. Those are both pretty boring as well.”

Harry almost asked about the Yule Ball, wondering what it was and whether or not he'd be expected to attend it as well, but Leona changed the subject before he could say anything.

“Mum and Andy say that you'll officially start lessons tomorrow, Harry. She wants to go over a few things before you go back to Gringotts and talk to the holder for the Potter accounts. Mostly etiquette and stuff so you don't accidentally insult someone. Easy stuff,” Leona said with a shrug.

Harry hoped she was right about that. There was so much he felt like he didn't know. Stuff that Leona and Aquarius spent their entire lives learning and experiencing. He felt hopelessly behind compared to them.

Was it the same at school? How many of his peers had he unintentionally affronted with his behavior and language? It never seemed to matter that much in Gryffindor, but was that because he spent most of his time with Ron and Hermione?

Harry resolved to do better.

* * *

Andromeda smiled as she watched her family merrily converse over dinner.

Ted and Remy were in the middle of a rousing discussion on experimental medicines; a topic she hadn't expected Remy to show much interest in knowledge in, but the younger woman seemed to be holding her own even as Ted delved into more advanced potions.

The kids were all at the other end of the table with Leona and Nymphadora leading most of the conversation while Aquarius made comments and Harry primarily listened. Every now and then laughter would break out and Harry would grin, bright and carefree, and Andromeda was reminded of the way he was treated by his relatives and how glad she was to have gotten him out of there.

Dinner went well until just before dessert, when Milla popped into the room and got Andy's attention with a single tap on the arm.

“A guest has arrived, Miss. Milla be telling them it is rude to intrude over dinner but they insisting.”

“Thank you, Milla,” Andromeda said as she gently set aside her utensils. She patted her mouth with a cloth napkin and then excused herself from the table with a soft apology. She briskly walked to the foyer and made sure to compose herself before entering the room.

Standing near the door was an old man with a long beard and twinkling periwinkle robes.

“Albus,” Andromeda cordially greeted. “It is considered rude to visit during dinnertime.”

He met her aloofness with a polite smile. “I do apologize, Lady Tonks, however there was no other time I could get away and there is something of grave importance that I must discuss with you.”

Andromeda arched one eyebrow. “Oh? And what is so important that you would arrive completely unannounced and interrupt a family meal?”

“It has come to my attention that you removed Harry Potter from the care of his Aunt and Uncle. You have to understand how important it is that he remain with them,” Albus told her. “There are blood wards in place around their residence. So long as he calls Privet Drive home, he will be protected from those in our world who would do him harm.”

Andromeda had a myriad of choices before her. She could play along with his little game, letting him try and garner sympathy for his actions. She didn't doubt that he genuinely thought he was doing the right thing, but she wouldn't stand there and allow him to speak up in defense of those horrid muggles.

“Harry will not be returning to that place and especially not by your hand.”

“My dear-”

“No,” she interrupted firmly. “You have _no right_ to determine where he lives. You had _no right_ to send him to those people; the only people who Lily herself specified he was never to go to. We have heard their Will, Albus. The boy will stay with his Magical Guardian and there is nothing that you nor anyone else can do to change that.”

Andromeda stepped back, never once taking her eyes off of Dumbledore. “Bastion!”

With a pop, a house-elf appeared. He was clad in the same gray and blue as the others, but he bore the Black Family shield across the back of his shirt and carried a tiny dagger on the belt around his waist. He bowed to Andromeda.

“How may Bastion help?”

“Please escort the Headmaster from the property and place a ban on the wards to prevent him from returning without permission,” Andromeda instructed.

Albus looked pained by her words, but politely inclined his head and went without a fuss, leaving Andromeda to stand in the foyer by herself. A few minutes later she felt a slight shift in the wards. Only then did she feel comfortable returning to the table.

“Everything alright?” Ted quietly asked as she sat down.

Andromeda nodded. “Nothing to worry about, dear. Just an issue that needed to be handled sooner rather than later.”

She would tell him and Remy more about their guest later. For the moment, she wanted to sit and enjoy dessert with her family.


	6. Passing the Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At last a new chapter! I would expect updates to continue to be slow, since I currently spend most of my time at work and it doesn't leave me with the freedom to write as much as I'd like.

Harry woke the next morning with the memory of tossing his oversized hand-me-downs into a blazing bonfire still fresh on his mind. He, Leona, Aquarius, and Tonks had danced around it for hours, singing themselves hoarse and laughing until there wasn't enough air in their lungs to keep going, at which point they all collapsed in a pile on the lawn, breathless and happy. The adults – minus Remy, who left for the protected cottage long before moonrise – had chatted nearby, keeping an eye on them but not interfering with their frolicking until it was well past time for bed.

It was with a smile on his face that Harry leisurely prepared for his second full day at Oakstone Manor, dressing in his brand new clothing and continuing to marvel over the clarity of his corrected vision.

He rather liked his new clothes. They were different from muggle jeans and t-shirts and a little closer to what most muggles would consider their “Sunday best” - a pair of sleek, pressed trousers and a plain button-down shirt with a colored vest over top of that. He selected a burgundy vest for the day and ran a comb through his hair so it looked like slightly less of a birds' nest before heading downstairs.

“Ah, good, I was just about to send Cici to fetch you,” Andromeda said briskly as she hovered around Aquarius to help style her hair. She looked him up and down and nodded in what Harry assumed was approval over his wardrobe. “An excellent choice for your trip to Gringotts today. Now, sit and eat. Aquarius, dear, hold still.”

Aquarius gave a very put-out sigh that had her sister smirking.

Harry took a seat at the table, noting it was just the four of them that morning. “Where's everyone else?”

“Ted and Dora already left for work. Remy is recovering from the full moon in her room, but I daresay she'll be ready for your meeting later. I'll send Evie with an Invigoration potion in an hour or so,” Andromeda replied. She twirled another strand of Aquarius' dark hair around her wand, held it for a moment, and then released the refreshed curl.

It was a process she repeated over and over again until each and every strand was curled to perfection. She finished the last one just as Harry finished eating.

“Aqua has her ballroom dance lessons today,” Leona explained as Andromeda hurried her from the table, leaving Harry alone with Leona.

“Do you have lessons _every_ day?” Harry asked.

“Not every day. Ballroom dance is once a month. Etiquette is every two weeks. The others are all family history, penmanship, magical theory, and a few other classes that Hogwarts doesn't offer,” Leona said with a shrug. “You'll have some of those more often to make up for all of the years you've missed. I think Andy's making a schedule so you can see it for yourself, but she'll leave you with some free days.”

Harry nodded. That made sense. “So, what about you? What are you doing today?”

“Free day, mostly,” Leona said nonchalantly. “I have to review some stuff for the Wizengamot and give Andy my input as heir, but other than that I don't have anything today. I'll probably pop over and visit Lee while you and mum are gone. Actually, I should probably talk to you about what to expect at Gringotts, since mum is recovering and Andy is busy with Aqua.”

Harry sat up a little straighter.

“To start, Andy was right about what you're wearing. It's perfect for a trip to Diagon Alley and especially for a meeting with the goblins. A lot of people make the mistake of going too formal or trying to show off their wealth, but the goblins are all well-aware of the wealthiest members of our world and it's more of an insult to them. So, do you remember how to bow to them?”

“Arms straight at my sides,” Harry said promptly, remembering that from their last trip. “It has something to do with wands? I don't really remember.”

“Wizardkind has repeatedly made it illegal for goblins to be caught in possession of a wand,” Leona said with a frown. “The thing is, goblins don't _need_ wands in order to work their magic. They find it insulting that wizardkind would even suggest such a thing – but more than that, it's been an excuse in the past to execute any goblins he were accused of holding a wand even for a moment.”

“That's awful!” Harry blurted out.

Leona nodded. “It is. Anyway, that's why we bow to them with our arms at our sides instead of in proper dueling form like we do for each other. For us, an empty fist over our sternum is how we show we are unarmed. For goblins, it's a reminder of a cruel law made only to hurt them.”

Suddenly the number of goblin wars covered in History of Magic was starting to make sense.

“So, we've covered proper dress, how to bow, and now onto greetings,” Leona said. “When you get there, mum will take you to the teller and you'll announce your intentions for being there. Since you have an appointment, you likely won't have to wait long. Listen carefully when the teller announces the name of the goblin you'll be seeing and when you arrive in the side-room they've prepared for your meeting, you first bow and then say: 'Thank you for seeing us today, Master Goblin', obviously replacing the goblin part with whatever their name is. When you go to leave, you bow again and then say: 'Thank you for your time, Master Goblin'.”

“Why 'master'?”

“Each goblin who works at Gringotts has a Mastery in their chosen field. Unless they introduce themselves as an apprentice, the best practice is to assume they are a master at their craft. The only other thing you need to keep in mind is that the goblins aren't fond of flowery language. Keep your questions and answers short and succinct,” Leona instructed. “We could practice, if you'd like.”

Harry agreed, and after one last sip of his orange juice the two of them left the kitchen to go to the nearest parlor room to review how he should act around the goblins. None of it was particularly difficult, but the practice helped calm his nerves as Leona assured him that he was doing well.

“A lot of purebloods have trouble with it because they're raised believing themselves above everyone else,” Leona admitted. “Trust me when I say you'll do much better at this than anyone raised in our world.”

Harry nodded along, feeling relieved at how simple it was. He was having enough trouble keeping everything straight when it came to wizarding etiquette; the idea of needing to learn how to interact with other cultures on top of that, when he barely had a grasp on things that were considered necessary for him to know, was overwhelming.

Leona gracefully took a seat on the nearby sofa and patted the space next to her. She waited until Harry also sat before speaking. “How are you doing?”

“Alright, I suppose,” Harry said. “Just trying to take in everything. I feel like I'm way behind everyone else. If it weren't for you and Aqua I'd probably have given up on learning any of this by now.”

“I don't know if this will help at all, but I think you're doing really well,” Leona told him.

“But I'm still way behind where I should be,” Harry sighed and stared down at his new shoes.

“Harry,” Leona said as she twisted around to fully face him. She placed one hand on his shoulder, which had him lifting his head to meet her gray eyes. “It is not your fault that you were raised not knowing anything about our world. The fact that you're willing to learn now is what's important. And you're not alone in this. There are plenty of muggle-borns who are in the same situation as you and some of them don't start learning until they're several years into Hogwarts. Or until they've graduated! There really _should_ be a class...”

It wasn't the first time he'd heard her say such a thing and he doubted it would be the last. “Why isn't there?”

Leona shrugged. “Mum says it has something to do with the school board. Apparently the times they can manage a majority vote on something is so rare that they don't try to make changes unless it's absolutely necessary. Although...”

“Although what?”

“You're a Heir of Hogwarts,” Leona pointed out. “There may be something listed in your Inheritance that allows you to make changes without the approval of the board. Or maybe it would be in the Hogwarts Charter?” She paused to think it over.

Harry took the opportunity to point out that he only had a one-forth share in Hogwarts according to his Inheritance test. “I can't be the only Heir.”

“I wish I had the answer, but no one can really say. The direct lines for the Founders were lost a long time ago, so unless Magic has chosen the others you may be the only one right now,” Leona explained. “I wouldn't go around announcing that you're Slytherin's Heir, though. Not because it's Slytherin! It's just a heavy title to wave around. You should at least wait until you know more about that part of your inheritance.”

Harry honestly had no intention of anyone else ever finding out he was the Heir of Slytherin. He had enough problems being famous for “defeating” Voldemort as a baby and the last thing he wanted to do was add to that.

“But enough of that! Today you get to go learn about the Potter Vaults!” Leona said happily. “Are you excited?”

Harry nodded and let himself get swept away by Leona's words about what may be contained in his vaults and what sort of properties he was likely to have. Evidently there would be more than what was listed in his test, which only showed the important family homes rather than every little thing the Potter's had stock in.

He was looking forward to learning about all of it. To learning more about his family. His legacy.

* * *

If only Leona had thought to prepare him for how _boring_ and _tedious_ it was to sit and listen to Master Rangor to first detail the items in each of the Potter Vaults – which were more numerous than what was listed on his inheritance, though it was quickly explained that Inheritance tests listed only the major holdings or else it would be pages upon pages longer than necessary – and then they moved onto the various properties and shares in magical shops or patents that were long held by his family. (Like the share his family held in the production of Sleakeasy Hair Potion, which had been invented by his grandfather, Fleamont Potter.)

Harry did his best to sit up straight and listen, but after an hour his eyes began to glaze over and he found his mind wandering to what the main Potter estate might look like. The fact that he had his own _house_ was still mind-boggling, especially after growing up under the heavy criticism of the Dursley's.

Luckily, Master Rangor seemed to be familiar with the shorter attention span of 11-year-old boys and once he wrapped up a brief summary of the family shares in company called “Harper's Everyday Potions”, he stood and invited them to take a cart down and begin a viewing of the vaults.

“Perhaps that would keep Mister Potter's attention,” he said with a twisted smile.

Harry flushed at getting called out. “I would like that, Master Rangor.”

He and Remy followed Master Rangor out of the office and to the nearest cart, which took off at breakneck speed through the halls woven beneath Gringotts. They arrived at the first vault in a manner of minutes and Master Rangor hopped out before them to begin unlocking the first vault on their stop.

“As we are viewing the contents of each vault today and you are accompanied by your magical guardian, I am permitted to allow you entry into them if you so choose,” Master Rangor told him. “You are only permitted to remove items from your Heir vault, which will be last on our stop. Should there be anything you wish to remove from the others, you will need to submit a form which will require approval from myself and your magical guardian.”

“I understand,” Harry said after a momentary pause.

Master Rangor grunted in approval as he slotted in the final key and the massive stone door bearing the Potter family crest – two stags standing guard on either side of shield framed in ivy, with the image of a spear and wand crossed over a single chevron – opened with a slight grinding sound.

Harry had expected to be greeted by the sight of piles upon piles of gold, silver, and bronze, like when he first laid eyes on his Heir vault, but instead he found a meticulously organized room with multiple doors along the walls. It wasn't even a large room. There were a few pieces of furniture off to one side, arranged as though it were a waiting area, and in the very center was a desk with a massive book placed on the surface.

Remy gently squeezed his shoulder. “I remember the first time I came here with your father,” she said softly. “It was a month or so after Euphemia passed away. He came down to place her wand next to Fleamont's in the Hall of Wands and Sirius and I came with him for moral support. May we, Master Rangor?”

The goblin waved them inside, stating that he would remain at the door until they were ready to leave.

“This is the Book of Records,” Remy said, leading him to the center table. “It updates on its own and details every object placed within this vault. If there is ever something specific you want to find, you place your hand on the cover and state what it is you're looking for. It will bookmark pages that may have what you're looking for.”

“Wicked,” Harry breathed out, his eyes lighting up.

Remy swiftly moved on to explain the doors. “This is the central chamber of the family vault. The heart of the family, you could say. The five doors that you see are organized into specific groups. Straight ahead is the Hall of Wands that I mentioned before. Each wand is accompanied by a name plate and a small portrait. To the right you'll find a collection of books and other important documents, such as the Family Grimoire. It's where any patents are also kept.”

She moved in a clockwise turn to the next door. “That chamber is divided into three parts. The largest holds all of your galleons, sickles, and knuts. Another contains jewelry and the last is other priceless heirlooms and artifacts.

“The next chamber was added in honor of the long history your family has in inventing potions. It houses a variety of cauldrons and copies of notes made on existing potions. I think there are also ingredients there placed under stasis,” Remy said, though she sounded the most uncertain about that particular room. “And the last room holds furniture and a few other antiques dating back through the years. James used to joke about how his parents could never get rid of anything and instead stored whatever they didn't want around the manor. We could take a look at that one now, if you'd like. You may find something for your room.”

“Can I?” Harry asked, surprising himself with his eagerness.

As nice as it would be to purchase his own things, having something that belonged to family sounded great as well.

With Remy's permission, he opened the door on the top left and stepped inside, staring in awe at the amount of furniture arranged within the chamber. Someone had taken the time to arrange them by type, with plush chairs arranged together with sofa's and all matter of tables grouped off by themselves. Tall, wooden bed frames occupied another an even larger space towards the back, and all other kinds of storage in between.

For a moment, he didn't know where to start.

But then he thought of his room and what he already had and considered what else he would like to make it his own space. He pointed out a nice looking sofa, a short table that matched it, and a sturdy-looking bookshelf. Remy made note of each item and then they were on their way to the next vault.

* * *

After an exciting day at Gringotts the day before, Harry was looking forward to staying in the next day. Breakfast was cheery, though a bit more subdued than the day before, with Tonks promising to let everyone know the moment they heard anything about Sirius' upcoming trial before they headed off for the ministry for another day of training.

“There will be no lessons for the next few days,” Andromeda announced once they were done eating. “I expect the three of you to self-study to the best of your ability. Leona, Harry, the two of you could also use this time to get through some of your summer homework.”

Aquarius and Leona exchanged quick glances, effortlessly communicating in their own way.

“Is everything alright?” Leona asked.

Remy's smile was strained as she responded. “Amelia Bones flooed last night to say that the trial will be held tomorrow. Andy and I thought it was best to cancel your lessons until things settle down.”

“So, dad will be coming home soon?” Leona asked eagerly.

“Once he's cleared by his mind healer. They say he's making good progress for someone exposed to the dementors as long as he had been,” Andromeda said. “We'll be preparing a room for him while we wait for more news.”

“But-!”

“Oh yeah!”

Harry and Leona spoke at the same time and immediately went silent when they realized they were interrupting each other. Leona quickly gestured for Harry to continue as she slumped back in her chair.

Harry looked a little sheepish as everyone's attention fell to him. “Er, sorry. That just reminded me that I could, um, start working on my room?”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea, Harry,” Remy said warmly.

With breakfast finished, the family split apart, each of them with their own destination in mind. Andromeda and Remy went to begin arranging a room for Sirius while the kids all wandered off on their own.

Harry's feet led him to his new room and he paused for a moment to gaze at the plaque with his name that hung over the door. It was the proof that he was welcome in their home; in their family. A space he was encouraged to make his own.

He opened the door and was greeted by a wave of blue color which, while pretty, was something he already knew he wanted to change. He thought of the colors of his other Houses – or at least the ones he knew of – like the deep burgundy of Potter and the greens and silvers of Slytherin. But how would those look once he tried to combine them?

Maybe Harry needed a little help.

He decided that fully settling on colors could wait until he thought about it some more and went to find the furniture catalog. The name _Oakengrove Furnishings_ was emblazoned across the front in shimmering yellow font. The name felt vaguely familiar to him, but he brushed aside that feeling in favor of flipping through the pages to find other things he liked.

There were a few pages that were earmarked. Someone must have gone through beforehand to show a few examples of things he should consider and though he didn't really see the need for another floor lamp, he did note a tabletop one that was made to look like a quidditch pitch, complete with tiny players racing around on broomsticks. It was also available in a variety of colors to represent various national teams.

Maybe it was a bit childish, but Harry figured that he had plenty of time to make up for and was allowed to have a few moments like that. He took a moment to retrieve a quill and inkwell from his trunk and circled the Quidditch lamp.

Harry spent a little more time flipping through the catalog before growing bored with his self-appointed task. He'd get back to that later, but in the meantime he figured he could check out the books he'd gotten the day before and do a little reading.

It didn't take long to realize why Remy had looked so amused by his selection of _Fallacies of the Rankings of the Sacred Twenty-Eight,_ which began with a dry explanation of how the rankings came to be and was followed by what could only be described as a surprisingly witty roast of each family that was considered part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. Just from skimming it, he was sure most of it wasn't at all true.

By far the more interesting book was the one written by ML Black on the subject of Camelot. She claimed to be a descendant of one of the Houses formed during that time and had access to a number of private journals, which she used to compile as accurate of a record as she could. The book was divided into several sections, each with a focus on one founding member of Camelot's Magical Court.

Harry began with the section on Merlin and quickly lost himself to the stories.

It wasn't until someone knocked on his door that he checked the time and realized that hours had passed since breakfast and he was running a little late for lunch. Sure enough, when he opened the door it was to find the house-elf Cici waiting on the other side.

“Cici has brought lunch for Heir Potter!” she squeaked, holding up a tray for him to see.

“Thank you, Cici,” Harry said, taking the tray from her. “Is everyone eating separately?”

Cici nodded. “Miss Andy says dinner will be eaten together at six tonight, so don't be late! Cici will be back to pick up your dishes later. Oh, and Miss Andy says your mail has been checked! Heir Potter should send a letter to make sure it goes through.”

Harry thanked her again for the food as well as the information about his owl mail and then watched as Cici popped away before retreating to his desk to eat lunch. After that he figured he should write and send a letter like she suggested, but who would he send one to?

Maybe to someone who he wouldn't mind if his mail went undelivered?

After a bit of thought and recalling how Leona mentioned Malfoy also sending him a letter, Harry decided that he wouldn't mind if a response to the Malfoy Heir mysteriously went missing.

Figuring out what to write in said letter was more difficult than he imagined. It wasn't like writing to Ron or Hermione, who he knew and got along with. Malfoy was...

Well, he wasn't a friend, for one thing. Harry didn't know what kind of relationship existed between them but it certainly wasn't friendship and he doubted it would ever be unless something dramatically changed. But he could see them being civil with one another and holding polite conversations, as they'd done once in the halls since Harry reached out with an apology towards the end of the school year.

It took some time and plenty of scribbling out and rewriting words until he felt he had something appropriate, but eventually Harry finished. It was short and polite, inquiring about how his summer had been and apologizing for Harry's lack of response to the letter he sent, with a brief explanation about the possibility of a block on his mail. He wrote a little about living with Leona and the Blacks as well, since Malfoy had probably already guessed that after bumping into Leona at Diagon Alley, and finished by wishing Malfoy a pleasant summer and stating that he would see him on the Hogwarts Express, if not sooner.

After that, it was just a matter of finding the owlry again.

Harry did his best to remember the way, but to his disappointment he made several wrong turns and found himself in front of the library doors and unsure of where he went wrong. Lucky for him, there was someone inside who was willing to help him.

Leona sat at a desk, muttering to herself as she scribbled notes onto a sheet of parchment. She paused now and then to consult one of the books around her and then wrote some more before realizing she was being watched.

“Harry!” she greeted, spotting him standing in the doorway. “How's your decorating going?”

Harry shrugged. “Alright, I suppose. I was looking for the owlry.”

“You got lost?” Leona guessed, sympathy in her voice. “Give me a minute and I'll help you. Is it a good idea to send an owl order right now? With your mail block and all?”

Harry spared a brief moment to wonder why she would think he was sending an owl order, but figured it was something he could muse over later. “Er, no, Cici told me they didn't find any kind of block on my mail and that I should try and send a letter, so I wrote something to Malfoy. Figure it won't hurt if it goes missing.”

Leona raised an eyebrow. “I know my cousin hasn't been the nicest to you, so I'm glad to hear you're at least attempting to be polite. C'mon, I'll take you up to Hedwig.”

Harry was happy to follow her as she led him back down the halls and to a staircase that he somehow missed on his way around the manor. “I didn't interrupt anything important, did I?”

“I'm just working on my summer project for Ancient Runes. We're supposed to create a working array of our own choosing – which is more interesting than it seems. It's basically to demonstrate an understanding out how specific runes can be used and work together. I'll show you later, if you'd like,” Leona offered.

Harry thought it sounded like something Hermione would be interested in.

“Sounds cool,” he lied.

Leona snorted in amusement, but didn't call him out for it. “Have you started any of yours? You can bet that mum and Andy will get on you about it once we get dad home and things settle down and trust me when I say that you'll want to have something to show for it.”

“I think I've done a bit of the reading?” Harry said, scratching his head. He resolved to start on an essay as soon as possible – probably the one for History of Magic, which would be the fastest.

It would also give him something productive to do as the hours ticked by leading to Sirius' trial.


	7. The Experience of Freedom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't lie, I struggled a little with writing this chapter and that's why it's taken me so long. I'm pretty pleased with the way it came out in the end.
> 
> For anyone interested, I do run a Harry Potter discord server. It's super chill and not very active, but if you're looking for a place to chat with fellow fans then come on over and join in. It's called Virtu Alley and you can find it here: https://discord.gg/AUq3eXY

Andromeda tilted her head and let out a thoughtful hum as she examined the plush bedding they had chosen for Sirius. It was originally intended for their grandfather, Arcturus Black, and because of that was colored a deep emerald green with a silver fleur-de-lis pattern embroidered around the edges.

With a resigned sigh, she waved her wand over it and watched as the green turned to burgundy and the silver into gold – colors that would surely put a smile on her cousin's face once he arrived.

“That should just about do it,” Andromeda murmured as she stepped back to admire the work they had done. 

In just a few hours, she and Remy had completely redone the spare bedroom to be as warm and comfortable as they could make it and had even added a door to connect it to Remy's own room, which gave Sirius a place to retreat when he needed time alone while still showing he was welcome to stay with her. Reds and golds were the predominant colors, but they were broken up by soft cream, brown, and the occasional hint of blue or green, which only served to complement the bolder colors. For a more personal touch, Remy had added photographs from their years at Hogwarts, along with a few of Leona and Aqua as they grew up.

Remy walked over and ran her hand over the thick duvet, smoothing out some of the worse wrinkles. “I can hardly believe he's coming home. I feel like I'll wake up and this will all have been a dream.”

“It is surreal,” Andromeda agreed. “But this is all real, Remy. Sirius is innocent and he is coming home. The trial is just a formality and, on top of that, is the best way to spread the word that he's free and that a grave injustice is finally being corrected. And speaking of injustice in need of correction...” She paused a moment to debate on how to proceed with her next statement. There was so much to think about and Andromeda hated to add to Remy's stress, but there was something she could only proceed with once she had Remy's permission. 

“When Harry had his inheritance test done, I asked Master Ganrig what our options would be in determining who took it upon themselves to place him in a home without first opening and reading the Potters' Will. He suggested we take it to the Judiciary Task Force.”

Remy frowned as she looked up at Andromeda, her confusion clear across her face. “But we already know who placed Harry with his muggle relatives.”

Andromeda inclined her head. “We do. However, we cannot legally accuse Albus Dumbledore without proof. And though I doubt he'll face any meaningful punishment for his actions – a fine at most and perhaps a derogatory paragraph tucked away in the prophet – it would send the message that Harry is now protected and that we won't stand for anyone trying to take advantage of him.”

“I...” Remy trailed off as she slowly sat down on the edge of the bed. “I don't know about this. Do you really think it would be necessary? After everything he's done for us?”

“Albus Dumbledore may be a great wizard, but he's not completely infallible. He is capable of making mistakes just like everyone else and this situation with Harry is simply one of many,” Andromeda said.

Remy closed her eyes and breathed out. “I just need a few days to think it over. Once everything is settled with Sirius and we have time to stop and think, then we can revisit this.”

“I won't bring it up again until then,” Andromeda promised.

As Remy stood up to take one last look around the room, a loud crack pierced the air, making both her and Andromeda jump in surprise. Even more startling was the sight of Bastion, the house-elf in charge of security, swearing as he wrestled an unfamiliar elf to the ground.

Andromeda drew her wand from its holster in a fluid motion, casting a quick, soundless spell to prevent apparition in or out of the room. “Bastion, who is this?” she demanded.

Bastion finally managed to pin the smaller elf in a way that he couldn't wiggle free, a vicious smile crossing his face over his victory. “Found this one sneaking about stealing letters! Cirrus was the first to spot 'im and raise the alarm.”

“So, this is the one behind Harry's missing letters,” Andromeda mused, staring down at the filthy pillowcase worn by the foreign house-elf. At her words, they burst into wailing tears, apologies spilling easily and followed up by choked sobbed proclaiming that they were only trying to help.

Bastion grimaced but didn't release the elf.

Remy quietly moved to stand next to Andromeda and kept her voice low as she asked: “Isn't that one of the Malfoy elves?”

Rather than respond, Andromeda pressed her lips together in a thin line as she considered the ramifications of such a thing. It was unlikely that Lucius would stoop to such things – the Blacks continued to hold more power than the Malfoys and he wouldn't risk angering her with a move that would gain him so little. And with Draco acting rather put-out by the lack of response from Harry over the summer, it was safe to say that he wasn't responsible either. (She didn't spare a single thought to consider her sister, Narcissa. Such a thing was far beneath her.)

Which all meant that the house-elf was acting on their own, and if their words were to be believed it was because they thought Harry was in danger and they wanted to keep him safe in whatever odd, twisted way they could come up with.

“Bastion, can you confirm that this room is properly warded against all forms of apparition?” Andromeda asked.

Bastion's grin was nearly feral as he responded with a firm “yes” and released the foreign house-elf, who bounded up and frantically looked around in search of an escape route.

“I would like to ask you a few questions and I expect honest answers. If it's something you cannot answer, tell me so. Should I find that you are lying to me, I will report your behavior to Lord Malfoy,” Andromeda stated.

The house-elf wavered on his feet, his eyes widening to an almost comical size. “Dobby would never lie, miss! Dobby only wishes to help Harry Potter!”

“I wish the same, Dobby,” Andromeda said, softening her tone. “Harry has been through enough in his young life and it is our sworn duty to help him in whatever way we can. Tell me, why do you think he's in danger?”

Dobby fidgeted with the hem of his filthy pillowcase smock. “Dobby has heard things, miss. Horrible, awful things! Bad things will happen at Hogwarts this year!”

“What kind of bad things?” Andromeda asked sharply. “Where did you hear this, Dobby?”

“Cannot say, miss!” Dobby said, shaking his head. 

Remy shifted her feet uneasily. “Do you think it has to do with Quirrel's disappearance?”

Andromeda considered it for a moment before responding, “I don't think so. The Aurors are on high alert and I doubt that he would dare return to Hogwarts.”

“Please, miss! Harry Potter mustn't go to Hogwarts this year!” Dobby begged, throwing himself at their feet.

Bastion moved forward and yanked up the younger elf, setting him back on his feet and pushing him away from Andromeda and Remy. After that, he remained in front of them, clearly intent on defending them.

“At ease, Bastion,” Andromeda commanded. “Dobby, Harry will return to Hogwarts this year and he will go with all of the protection we can send him with, I give you my word on that. However, if you interfere with Harry's mail or in any other way try and prevent him from going to school, I will inform Lord Malfoy of your actions.”

Dobby trembled, his eyes filling with fresh tears. He stammered out a promise and then, once Andromeda lifted the wards to allow apparation once again, he popped away, presumably back to Malfoy Manor.

“Andy...” Remy murmured, trailing off into uncertainty.

“I don't trust him either, but hopefully the threat of Lord Malfoy will keep him from acting again until we can put better protective measures in place. Bastion-” (He straightened to attention.) “-thank you for your quick action. I'd like for you and the boys to continue keeping an eye out for any trouble.”

“With pleasure,” Bastion said, bowing swiftly before also popping away.

Andromeda closed her eyes, her mind already working on the new addition to the puzzle of Harry's missing letters. She heard the rustling of Remy's robes as she began to pace and knew the other woman was putting together her own conclusions and plans.

With luck, they could settle on something before dinner.

* * *

Andromeda and Remy chose not to tell anyone else about their little visit from Dobby – or at least, they didn't tell any of the children. Ted and Tonks were informed and asked to keep quiet, which they promised to do on top of offering advice of their own.

And so when morning arrived, the only thing Leona was truly worried about was the trial that was going to take place that afternoon. She tried to keep busy in order not to think about it, but nothing kept her attention, and her thoughts frequently strayed to all of the awful what-ifs, even after all of the reassurances that the trial was only a formality to show the rest of the magical world that Sirius was truly innocent of all crimes.

Finally, after assisting Aquarius with curling her hair and helping Harry decide on what to wear, it was time to set off for the Ministry of Magic. The entire family flooed into the Receiving Hall and were quickly checked in before heading directly to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, where the courtrooms were located.

Leona knew it wasn't going to be a normal trial. 

Amelia Bones had visited the evening before to fill the whole family in on what was happening. Between the copy of the Potters' Will that had been given to her as well as Sirius' confession under Veritaserum, she had named Sirius innocent of all crimes he had been accused of. All of the paperwork for his freedom had been filed and all that was left was informing the rest of the British magical community.

The easiest way to do that was to call for a trial, allowing everyone to attend and hear for themselves.

Despite knowing that her dad was a free man at long last and that he'd spent the past few days in relative comfort and speaking to a qualified mind healer, Leona couldn't quell the anxiety she felt over seeing him for the first time in nearly eleven years.

But she wouldn't let herself get lost in it. She held her head high, reminding herself firmly that she was the future Lord of House Black and that she needed to conduct herself appropriately while in public. (She could fall apart afterward in the comfort of Oakstone Manor, where only those she trusted would see her in such a state.) She clung to that thought as they were shown their seats in the largest courtroom the Ministry had to offer, and it was only when she was sure no one could see that she reached for her mum's hand.

Remy gently squeezed it. “Everything will be alright,” she whispered reassuringly.

Leona glanced to her left and saw that Harry and Aquarius had their hands tightly clasped, neither of them really seeming to notice what they were doing. Further down, Andy and Ted had their heads bowed together as they talked, while Tonks sat silently on the end and gazed around the room.

The room quickly filled with people who were eager to find out what was going on and at precisely 10 o'clock the doors to the courtroom were closed and sealed with a resounding boom that silenced the whispers. Madam Amelia Bones stepped up to the center podium to address the room.

Leona tried to listen, but her attention was drawn instead to a small door in the corner of the room, which opened as Amelia spoke and admitted a pair of Aurors who were leading in a man who bore only some resemblance to the image she had from her memories.

“Dad,” she breathed out, her voice barely even a whisper.

His hair was freshly washed and cut, not too short but to a length that ended near his shoulders, and his skin was terribly pale and sunken near his eyes. His robes, at least, were in good condition, though they were only a solid black without any embellishments.

“...viewing of the Potters' Will, we can say with absolute certainty that Sirius Orion Black is innocent in the matter of the deaths of James and Lily Potter,” Amelia Bones said firmly. “Furthermore, after more questioning, it has been proven that he is not responsible for the deaths of twelve muggles on the night of November 1st, 1981, but that the true culprit is one Peter Alexander Pettigrew, whose Order of Merlin has been revoked as of this morning. Mister Black has agreed to testify again in front of the full assembly, for any of those who continue to have doubts.” She turned, nodding cordially to the two Aurors, who both stood aside and allowed Sirius to walk to the chair unattended.

Remy breathed in sharply and leaned forward in her seat, wide amber eyes fixed on her husband.

Once Sirius was seated, Amelia spoke again.

“Will you submit to the use of Veritaserum?”

“I will.” Sirius' voice was rough from years of disuse but loud enough for all to hear with ease.

Amelia withdrew a tiny glass bottle from her pocket and held it up so everyone could see. “Is there anyone present with a Mastery in Potions who would like to verify that this is undoubtedly a true Veritaserum?”

Two people stood and made their way down the steps when Amelia gestured for them to do so. One was Heir Orpheus Fawley and the other was a woman in her 50s by the name of Beatrix Nichols. Both took their turn to look over the glass bottle and both came to the conclusion that contained within was a true Veritaserum.

Amelia placed three drops on Sirius' tongue and then began her questioning.

“State your name and date of birth.”

“Sirius Orion Black, born November 3rd, 1959.”

“Were you the Secret Keeper for Lily and James Potter?”

“No. We thought that choosing me would be too obvious and suggested they swap to someone else. I suggested they use Peter instead.”

Low murmurs broke out across the courtroom and Amelia gave them a moment before continuing her questioning. She asked for more details on the swap and made sure to confirm that the Peter he referenced was, in fact, Peter Pettigrew. She asked what happened on the night of October 31st and why he was spotted at Godric's Hollow shortly after the attack. She asked why he chose to go after Pettigrew himself. She asked what happened once he finally cornered Pettigrew, a full day later.

Sirius explained everything.

How he would be the decoy, pretending as though he were the secret keeper and allowing everyone to think that he was – including his wife and daughter. How Pettigrew hadn't checked in that evening before dinner, which led Sirius to floo to his home to check in on him. When all that greeted him was a dark apartment, Sirius apparated to Godric's Hollow instead and set out for the house the Potters owned. How he was met by nothing but ruin and smoke and the bodies of his best friends. He spoke of Hagrid's arrival and how he handed Harry over with the request that Hagrid get him to St. Mungo's for care, passing off his motorbike as well – it was too noisy for what he needed to do next.

Sirius described being consumed by rage and lost in the agony of having trusted the wrong person. Peter was a friend and he betrayed them. It was something so unforgivable that Sirius didn't spare a moment to think that he should go to the Aurors to explain things.

He needed answers.

“I hunted Peter myself. All I could think was that I needed to know why. Why did he do it? Why did he betray us? What had we done?” Sirius paused a moment. Veritaserum didn't allow for much emotion to slip through, but the memories of that night were strong enough to overpower that effect of the potion. “I had planned on stunning him first and then tying him up, but he was ready for me when I arrived. He shouted for everyone on the street to hear that I was the one who betrayed James and Lily. That I had handed over my own brother to that monster.” He shuddered. “The next thing I knew I was laying on the ground, my ears ringing. People were screaming. And then the Aurors arrived.”

“Your arresting officers reported that you were laughing when they found you and that you admitted your guilt,” Amelia told him.

“It was my fault. I was the one who suggested the swap. I was the one who said they should use Pettigrew and not me. They would still be here if not for me.”

Amelia had no more questions for Sirius and gave him the antidote before sending him back to the waiting room. Once he and his Auror guard were gone, she turned to address the courtroom. “Following our discovery of this severe lapse in judgment performed under the headship of Bartemius Crouch and began with Minister Harold Minchum, who permitted the allowance of imprisonment without trial. With the support of our current Minister, Cornelius Fudge, we will be reviewing old cases to ensure that true justice is served.”

As the room filled with more noise than ever before, Amelia called an end to their time and gave the signal to unlock the doors before taking her leave.

Leona only became aware of the hot tears streaming down her face as her mum brushed them from her cheeks and helped her stand.

“He's waiting for us,” Remy said, her voice trembling slightly.

Leona nodded. She made sure her back was turned towards the crowd before blotting her eyes dry. She followed along behind Harry as Tonks led the family out of the courtroom and down the hall to the holding rooms, where she stopped outside of the one with an Auror guard standing outside.

“Hey, Kings!” Tonks addressed the tall black man. “Is Sirius ready to see us?”

The man nodded. “Healer Keegan recommends only one or two visitors at a time so he isn't overwhelmed.”

The family shuffled around until Remy was the one standing in front of the door, smoothing down her blue-gray robes as if they weren't enchanted to lay perfectly. Andromeda, Ted, and Tonks moved off to one side – they would be going last – while Leona stood just behind her mum, and Aquarius and Harry were just behind her.

Auror “Kings” knocked three times on the door and then opened it, moving aside so Remy could enter the room.

Sirius stood near the farthest wall, expression guarded as he laid eyes on his wife for the first time in over ten years. A heartbeat of time passed before Remy drew in a shuddering breath, her vision blurring from tears, her legs carrying her toward him without conscious thought. Sirius met her in the middle of the room with a few long strides, wrapping her up in a tight embrace.

“I'm sorry,” Remy whispered over and over. “I'm so sorry. I should have known. I should have tried harder!”

“I'm sorry too. I never should have run off on my own,” Sirius apologized.

They stood there and clung to each other for several minutes, reveling in the feeling of being together again. Eventually, Remy pulled back and gave Sirius a teary smile. “There's someone else here to see you. Several someones, in fact.”

Sirius turned his gaze to the door, where Leona stood waiting for her own turn.

“Is that...?” Confusion broke and gave way to soft delight as Sirius realized who he was looking at. “My Leo. My little lion.”

Leona grinned at the familiar nickname and hurried to wipe her eyes as she all but ran forward for a hug of her own. “Dad,” she whispered into his chest. She reluctantly let go of him so Aquarius and Harry could have their own turn and watched as Aqua, who was clinging to Harry's arm like he was her only lifeline, had to be encouraged to walk into the room.

Sirius' breath hitched at the sight of them and only Remy fully understood the reason why.

It was like looking at a photograph of his younger self. Aquarius, with her dark curls and gray-green eyes, and Harry, with his strong resemblance to James, standing side-by-side as James and Sirius did throughout their time at Hogwarts.

“Harry,” Sirius croaked, “Aqua.”

When he opened his arms wide to invite them in for a hug, Aquarius nearly tripped in her haste to get to him, with Harry shortly behind.

At last, the family was together again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought it would be nice to spend some time with the adults this chapter, but for the next one we'll be back to Harry's POV.


End file.
